IT was not particularly pretty but it was exactly what Glasgow Warriors needed. After losing 10 away matches in the URC on the bounce, Franco Smith’s side withstood a physical first-half onslaught from Zebre and then stretched clear after the break for a convincing bonus-point win.
They will face much tougher opposition than Zebre, who have yet to taste victory home or away in the URC this year, but this was an important psychological step forward ahead of next weekend’s European Challenge Cup campaign opener away to Bath.
“Today was not about playing a creative brand, it was about winning first, and we squeezed it out,” said Smith. “We faced a team that was very determined with a couple of fresh guys coming in, and they must have seen our poor record away from home as an opportunity.
