Memorable Moments: Glasgow Warriors 2017/18 – Part 2

Five more memorable moments for Glasgow Warriors from their 2017/18 campaign. Missed Part 1? Check it out here.

6. Matawalu Furra Lineeeeee

Every Glasgow fan knew when Niko returned that tries would be part of the package. For some reason he decided to pass up scoring the solo try of the season when he offloaded to Nick Grigg following an insane run from his own line against Leinster though! When he did cross later in the year against the the Cheetahs however the original Fijiweegie managed to achieve something no-one else in the league has – scoring a try against every single one of his side’s PRO14 opponents.

7. Styling It Out

Scott Cummings set the bar low for try-scoring finishes that lacked a little when it came to elegance, scoring with his face against Ulster last season. This year it was the turn of Henry Pyrgos to show that they all count, no matter how you get over the line. The initial build-up to the 5th try against the Cheetahs at Scotstoun was classic Rennie-era Glasgow. There was a fine break from deep by Nick Grigg, backed up by a scrum-half on an excellent supporting line. Henry saw the chance to finish himself and decided to take it. Unfortunately he fell over metres short so that finish was a rather graceless double flop up to then over the line. This is the actual footage…

8. Big Bad Bob – Record Breaker

It had been clear for a few seasons that Rob Harley was hunting down Graeme Morrison’s all-time record of 177 appearances for the Warriors. Having debuted in the opening game of the 2010/11 season Rob had been the most consistent presence in the Glasgow squad over the past 8 years. Against Munster in February he finally surpassed the record, playing his 178th match for the club. He’s continued to extend the mark he’s laying down for future generation to chase and it would be no surprise if he played his 200th match for Glasgow some time next season.

9. The Return Of The Wing

Never go back they say. Thankfully not a sentiment that afflicted either Glasgow or some former players this season. Ruaridh Jackson, Niko Matawalu, Ryan Grant and Kiran McDonald all rejoined the club after spells in England. The topper to this trend came when the Warriors’ record try-scorer DTH van der Merwe’s return was announced. The stage was set and the Canadian winger didn’t disappoint, adding to his try tally just 7 minutes into his “debut ja vu” then adding another from this perfectly executed strike move against Zebre.

Spoilsport ref Craig Evans denied DTH a third try with a forward pass call late on. Maybe a hat-trick would have been just too unbelievable on his return to Warriors’ colours!

10. A Century Of Scores

As a moment it was rather subsumed in the gloom surrounding the semi-final defeat to the Scarlets. As a sign of just what an attacking threat the Warriors were though it’s still worth celebrating an achievement that was built across the entirety of the campaign. 100 tries in a season for the first time in the club’s history with the milestone score being picked up by Jonny Gray. The next highest tally was 92 in 2017/18. In fact it’s not all that long since Glasgow were scoring less than half that number of tries per season so the attacking transformation has been quite remarkable.

11. They’ll Let Anyone In Here

Ok so it’s sneaking an extra one in but if OTOTM might be permitted to be self-indulgent for a minute – the moment when you first see one of your articles appearing in the Warriors’ matchday programme is quite nice really!