Matthews enjoys first Scotstoun run-out

How do you follow up your first match in a Glasgow Warriors shirt? If you’re Johnny Matthews, the answer is simple – score on your first home appearance for the club.

The Liverpudlian
was one of four try scorers for the Scotstoun side on Saturday afternoon, as
their efforts – combined with a penalty try and nine points from the boot of
Brandon Thomson – helped the Warriors to a 36-33 win over Ulster in their final
pre-season encounter.

Speaking to
glasgowwarriors.org, Matthews was quick to downplay expectations that he would
repeat the try-scoring knack that saw him score 19 tries in 16 Tennent’s
Premiership matches for Boroughmuir last season, but was effusive in his praise
for the Warrior Nation.

“Saturday
was a really enjoyable one for me,” said the hooker.

“Getting to
play in front of the Scotstoun crowd was great – the fans were incredibly
vocal, and it was a real privilege to play in front of them. It was a great
experience for me.

“All of the
boys in front of me deserve the credit [for the try] really! They did the
majority of the work – all I had to do was flop over the line! I’m delighted,
though.”

The focus
for Dave Rennie’s men now turns to the opening Guinness PRO14 match of the
season, with the Toyota Cheetahs lying in wait in Bloemfontein in just over a
week’s time

“They’ll be
a really physical test for us,” admitted Matthews.

“They’ve
just come off the back of a successful Currie Cup campaign, so we know they’ll
be sharp.

“The
altitude and heat are also things we have to consider, but we’ll be focusing on
ourselves. We’ve got to prepare well and be the best that we can be.”

Matthews
identified the performance of Saturday’s pack as a particularly pleasing aspect
of the victory, with fellow front-rower Adam Nicol crashing over for the
winning score with two minutes to play.

“We’ve
looked at the match pretty closely and highlighted the improvements we need to
make going forward,” said Matthews.

“There were a
lot of positives though – we earned a couple of scrum penalties and scored two
tries from lineouts, or three if you count the penalty try.

“Those are big
positives for us and we’ll be looking to build on them.”