There was no hesitation from Johnny Matthews over committing his future to Glasgow but the popular hooker refuses to be decisive when it comes to the Warriors’ all-time try scoring record.
Matthews has penned a new two-year deal to keep him at Scotstoun until the end of the 2025/26 season after he was rewarded for his excellent form. The 30-year-old initially joined on a short-term contract in 2019 but his phenomenal scoring prowess has earned him cult-hero status.
Matthews is comfortably the top try-scorer in the URC with ten and he’s in Glasgow’s top-five in their history with 34 tries in 60 appearances. Matthews scored a remarkable 20 tries in 2023 alone and that’s the same number that he’s behind Glasgow’s record scorer DTH van der Merwe but the humble hooker acted coy over whether it was a target.
"If I keep playing and the maul keeps on going well, then I suppose there’s every chance I might get close to it,” Matthews admitted. "If you start to look at stuff like that, then it starts to affect the rest of your game.
“If I’m lucky enough to get on the back of a few good mauls, then I’m happy to be the one to put the ball down and score. As long as I’m fit and still in the squad, then hopefully I will have the opportunity to score a few more tries along the way. Not all of my tries have come from the maul. I’ve scored a few from open play as well.”
Glasgow’s impressive rolling maul from line-outs is feared across Europe and Matthews has been the main beneficiary. While the majority of his tries have come from that avenue, Matthews has also demonstrated his pace and the Liverpudlian joked it was required growing up in Merseyside.
“Apparently, I’m deceptively quite fast. But, growing up in Liverpool, you need a decent turn of pace!” Matthews laughed. “We work hard here to be all-round athletes. You don’t want to be one-dimensional, especially as a forward.
“I don’t actually know where I’d rank in the speed tests. The backs and forwards do them separately. But I would definitely be up there. I’d back myself over 10m against most of the forwards.”
The boyhood Everton fan wasn’t amused at being nicknamed the ‘Scotstoun Salah’ recently but his new deal at Glasgow brings a smile to face as it provides stability in a place he’s grown to love.
“It’s massively important,” Matthew replied when asked about the security of a longer-term contract. “For me and my wife, we have that little bit of security now for the next few years. It’s a huge relief and a nice little weight off the shoulders to have that little bit of security.
"I’ve loved Glasgow as a city. It’s similar to Liverpool. But I actually live In Edinburgh and that’s great as well. My Mum is from Glasgow, along with all her family. So it’s been a great place for me.
“If I’m honest, when I first came up to Scotland, I probably didn’t see myself staying this long. I was originally just signed as cover for the World Cup, but then I kept getting little extensions along the way. To be here for this long, and now have a new extension for the next few years, it’s a dream come true. It has been a whirlwind for me.”
Matthews’ Glasgow form ultimately paid the biggest dividends possible in rugby when he was called-up to the Scotland squad during the World Cup. The hooker flew over as emergency cover and he made his international debut against Romania.
Typically, Matthews crossed the white line and his try-scoring ability will ensure that he’s firmly on Gregor Townsend’s mind when he names his initial Six Nations squad next month.
“That’s out of my hands,” he confessed. “I’m just trying to focus on playing well here at Glasgow and putting my hand up. If I can do that, then hopefully I’m in with a shot of getting into the national team for the Six Nations.I had a taste of it during the World Cup and that was obviously a great experience for me.It’s a special group to be part of. It would be massive to get back into the squad if I can do it.”
Next up for Glasgow is a daunting trip to Exeter in the Champions Cup and Matthews insists the squad will travel in positive spirits after revitalising their qualification hopes last time out in France.
“The confidence from beating Bayonne was important for us,” Matthews added. “I think Exeter are a very similar team to ourselves.They work hard for each other, they graft, and they put a lot of emphasis on their set-piece as well. It’ll be a big challenge for us. But we saw what Northampton did down there last week – and we have confidence that we can go there and get a result as well.”
