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Glasgow Warriors player ratings vs Racing 92 | Investec Champions Cup
By Josh Raisey
Glasgow Warriors player ratings: Glasgow Warriors showed the rest of the Investec Champions Cup that they are serious contenders with a dominant 29-19 win over Racing 92 at Scotstoun on Friday.
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It was a game that was more or less over at half time, with the hosts going in at the break with a 22-7 lead, but could have easily doubled that total.
Though it was a near-faultless display by the United Rugby Championship winners in the opening stages, they did drop off slightly late on but had enough to win and progress to the last 16.
Here’s how the players rated:
15 Josh McKay – 7
Created the opening try of the match with his determination to keep the ball alive and offload on his way to the ground. Perhaps the quietest of all Glasgow backs, but still a solid display.
14 Sebastian Cancelliere – 7
Despite a try, it was quite a quiet first half for the Argentinian, which he looked to amend in the second stanza by coming off his wing a lot more.
13 Huw Jones – 9
Always threatening in a match where he seemingly received the ball on the front foot and with plenty of space every time it went his way. Linebreaks and running metres aplenty.
12 Sione Tuipulotu – 9.5
Almost every touch in the first half of the match was pure gold, bookended with a rampaging run downfield in the opening seconds and a try at the stroke of half time. He did not let up in the second 40, unlocking Racing’s defence frequently with his distribution- particularly some scorching flat passes on a freezing night. Kicked, carried, passed- a world class display. Few players on Earth are better than the Scotland captain.
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11 Kyle Steyn – 7
Looked evasive when he had his hands on the ball, but this was a game where Racing’s defence was so brittle that there had usually been a break in the midfield before the ball had even reached the wing. His influence did grow as the match progressed.
10 Tom Jordan – 8
The type of game any fly-half would love. Was able to do what he wanted with the ball and had the Racing defence at sixes and sevens. A sublime pass created acres of space for Cancelliere to score in the first half, which typified his display. His game was perhaps only let down by some wayward conversions.
9 George Horne – N/A
Opened the scoring by following a midfield break, but left the field injured soon after.
1 Rory Sutherland – 7
Was lively and explosive in his first start since October, contributing in all areas of the game.
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2 Johnny Matthews – 7
Not a perfect display in the lineout, but caught the eye in the loose, particularly with a break out of his own 22.
3 Zander Fagerson – 8
Few props can match the British and Irish Lions tourists’ work-rate, and he exhibited that at Scotstoun.
4 Gregor Brown – 8
Led Glasgow’s near-flawless defensive effort in the tight and was the go-to option at the lineout.
5 Scott Cummings – 7
Dependable as ever in the engine room and helped set the platform for Glasgow’s backs to run riot.
6 Matt Fagerson – 8
Perfect footwork for a big man to cut through the Racing defence without a hand laid on him on the way to setting up the second try of the match. His left shoulder abruptly put a halt to Racing’s most promising passage of play in the first half, backing his huge shot up with a turnover. A fine display, although tarnished by an unnecessary yellow card late on.
7 Rory Darge – 8.5
Was a menace at the breakdown and was rewarded with a number of turnovers and penalties. Sealed the win with his try on the hour, although it was a team effort with a driving maul.
8 Jack Mann – 7
Had one carry in particular in the first half where the Racing players looked like children trying to stop him, and though he got his hands on the ball on plenty of occasions, he may be disappointed that he was not able to produce the line breaks that many of his team-mates were able to produce.
Replacements
16 Gregor Hiddleston – 7
17 Jamie Bhatti – 6
18 Sam Talakai – 7
19 Alex Samuel – 6
20 Ally Miller – N/A
21 Euan Ferrie – 6
22 Jamie Dobie – 8
23 Duncan Weir – 7
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Noted