Half-century pleases Rennie as Warriors look to build momentum

• 1 Nov 2019

Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Dave Rennie expressed his satisfaction at securing a bonus-point victory over the Southern Kings tonight, as his side ran in eight tries without reply in a 50-0 win at Scotstoun.

A five-try
opening stanza saw the Warriors take full control of proceedings from the
opening kick-off, with seven different scorers touching down in addition to a penalty
try.

It was his
side’s accuracy in attack that was most pleasing to Rennie, as his side returned
to winning ways in their first home match for three weeks.

“I was very
happy with our first-half,” he said.

“I thought
Adam [Hastings] controlled the game really well and put us in the right parts
of the pitch. We turned pressure into points, and I was pleased with our
accuracy.

“The game
stuttered through the second half – there were a lot of injuries and stoppages,
but I thought we defended very well in the second half. We got a lot of turnovers
and profited from a couple, so it’s certainly a step in the right direction.”

Whilst six
players made their Warriors return from Rugby World Cup duty, it was
second-rower Kiran McDonald that walked away with the man-of-the-match award
after a typically combative display in the Glasgow engine room.

“Kiran’s
done a really good job for us, especially in running our lineout,” said Rennie.

“He’s a
really good athlete – he’s come back in a bit fitter this year, and has a bot
more of an edge about him which is important for us.

“He’s
putting a bit of pressure on the other guys in the second-row, and he’ll get
more opportunities.”

Zebre are
the next in line to face Rennie’s men, as the Warriors travel to Parma next
weekend in search of consecutive wins in the Guinness PRO14. The Warriors boss believes
tonight’s result will stand his squad in good stead over the next few weeks,
with the opening round of the Heineken Champions Cup also coming into view for
the Warrior Nation.

“We needed
the win tonight,” said Rennie.

“It’s not
that we’re lacking in confidence, because we’ve been training hard, but it’s
good to get a quality performance out on the park.

“Zebre will
be tough, especially over there, and then we’re back here against Sale who have
recruited some beef this season.

“Hopefully
we can build on tonight into next week and beyond.”