Time for a look back at 2017/18 for Glasgow Warriors and On Top Of The Moon through the medium of 10 memorable moments from the season just past. They’re not necessarily the best or most significant points but rather some of the small events that stuck in the mind as representing what the Warriors’ campaign was all about.
1. Welcome To The Jungle
A lot of anticipation had built up before Callum Gibbins made his Warriors’ debut. The man who was replacing fan favourite Simone Favaro had plenty to live up to. His debut against Ospreys demonstrated just what the Kiwi had to offer in both attack and defence. More than that though his involvement in seemingly every little stramash and bit of niggle showed here was a player who would not take a backward step or defer to anyone. Just the sort of personality Glasgow were looking for to join their leadership group and set the tone for the young forwards coming through. There’s not any decent footage from that game so here’s an artist’s impression of what was happening:
2. Beast Mode
Recently departed winger Leonardo Sarto managed to pack a fair number of highlights into his short time at the club, including a Man of the Match performance against Leicester in the Champions Cup. Nothing else came close to the moment against Munster when he picked up the ball in a not particularly promising position then proceeded to beat what felt like half of the Irish side’s players before dishing the ball off to Scott Cummings to crash over the line.
3. The Running Man
It’s always hard to assess how significant an individual moment is in relation to the overall outcome of a match. Away to the Cheetahs though Ruaridh Jackson came up with a play that transformed the shape of the game at that point. With Cheetahs looking almost certain to score he gambled on the intercept as the only way to stop a try. Not only did he manage to kill off the attack but he then embarked on a lung-busting run (at altitude) to set up a 7-pointer for Glasgow – possibly the longest 11 seconds of his life..
All that and he didn’t even get the recognition he deserved with the South African commentator attributing his intervention to Tommy Seymour. Clearly all beardos look the same. Coincidentally it wasn’t long after this that Rhubarb ditched the full face fuzz for his finely-manicured moustache…
4. Action Jackson
That man Jackson again. This time showing his commitment to the cause by going old school and doubling up his games over a single weekend. After warming up with Scotland ahead of their Autumn Test against Australia he was a late call-up to the bench when Stuart Hogg had to drop out. Any plans to head down to Wales that night to link up with Glasgow had to be hastily shelved. Instead it was the early flight to Bristol on Sunday morning, then a rapid transfer to Swansea so he could take his place in the Warriors’ starting line-up. Not bad for a 30-something!
5. Eviscerating Exeter
Slightly longer than a single moment – but only just – was a passage of play lasting 133 seconds which transformed Glasgow’s match with Exeter in the Champions Cup. The English champions went from pressing on the Warriors’ 5m line looking to draw level to having the game taken out of their hands in less time than it takes a kettle to boil. OTOTM took an in-depth look (there’s pictures and everything!) at two of the scores of the season in this article.
On Top Of The Moon 