Stafford McDowall scored the match-clinching try for Glasgow Warriors against Zebre.
Image: © Craig Watson 
ALASDAIR MACKENZIE @ Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
FOR the first 40 minutes of a mild night at the Stadio Lanfranchi, it looked like Glasgow Warriors’ Dublin dismantling would be followed by some Parma punishment.
The URC champions deservedly trailed 6-0 at the break against second-bottom Zebre, a scoreline that in truth should have been more handsomely in the hosts’ favour.
But two failures to ground the ball over the try line – the first from Giovanni Licata a mind-bogglingly poor error – gave Warriors a lifeline that they grabbed with both hands after what we can only assume were some stern half-time words.
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Helped by numerical advantage following a yellow card to Matteo Canali for head-to-head contact in the tackle, the returning Josh McKay and Stafford McDowall scored converted tries that proved decisive in sealing a crucial comeback victory.
Not only did it secure a home quarter-final in the URC playoffs and a third consecutive Scottish-Italian Shield for Glasgow, but it ensured that this mentally wounded group could turn the page from their 52-0 collapse to Leinster a week earlier.
“It was the elephant in the room. I think we carried a bit of baggage into this game,” said Glasgow head coach Franco Smith.
“To get the win, a hard-fought win…could we have scored more points? I definitely think so. It’s a hard place now to come and win. Nobody wants to lose against an Italian team, but we’ll take the four points.
“I’m proud of the character of the team. We stuck to our guns. I know there were a few boys who haven’t played for a while, some new entries from injury, and we had to bounce back from a tough week from a mental perspective last week. We’re proud of what we did.”
Smith had warned pre-match of their being “little margin for error” against a well-rested Zebre team that had kicked off 2025 with three straight URC wins, but that didn’t stop the Glasgow coach from shuffling his pack.
There were 10 changes in total from the side that was dismantled in Dublin, some enforced and some not, including the welcome return of hooker Gregor Hiddleston and full-back McKay from injury at a time when the list of casualties seemed to only be getting bigger.
The raft of changes told in a sloppy, scrappy opening quarter where Glasgow failed to get into gear in an attacking sense and found themselves behind when Giacomo Da Re knocked over a penalty in front of the posts.
While they were finding some joy at line-out time, stealing three Zebre throws, little of their attacking game was on display other than a bit of dazzling Jamie Dobie footwork that took the scrum-half through the defensive line and 10 metres from the posts before a last-ditch tackle forced a knock-on.
It was only a jaw-dropping error from the Italians that stopped Glasgow from slipping further behind as the half wore on. Simone Gesi’s tear down the left wing took him inches from the line and a quick recycle saw Licata stroll unguarded the posts, only to somehow drop the ball while attempting a one-handed touchdown.
History repeated itself soon after, albeit in more testing circumstances, when substitute Scott Gregory dived for the corner but lost the ball in the grounding. Two huge let-offs in a matter of minutes meant that when Da Re knocked over his second penalty of the night from distance soon after, it was the absolute minimum that the home side deserved.
Canali’s head clash with Sebastian Cancelliere left the Warriors wing needing an HIA – which he subsequently passed – and earned the lock 10 minutes in the sin bin.
Warriors took advantage almost immediately, pummelling towards the line with a series of carries before McKay found the space to glide through a gap and score, with Tom Jordan nailing the conversion minutes after coming on at fly-half for Adam Hastings.
Kyle Steyn came close with a barnstorming break of his own as Glasgow relentlessly battered at the Zebre defence, and the dam broke when Sam Talakai’s thunderous carry burst through the defensive line and allowed McDowall the space to crash under the posts.
With the numbers level again, Zebre began to test the Warriors’ defensive resolve, but the Scots held out for the rest of the half without conceding a single point to ensure a Scotstoun quarter-final.
“It’s massive. I think it’s another burden that we brought here tonight, we wanted to end as high as we can,” Smith said.
“We’ve worked the whole season, disrupted by injury. We’ve played two more games in the Champions Cup than any of the other teams we will face. So it’s a hard ask and a big ask but now that’s secured we know we can keep on working on our progression to be able to compete.”
Attention will now turn to the visit of the Bulls to Scotstoun next weekend, before the regular season rounds off with a trip to Benetton and the daunting prospect of a final-day return to Dublin for a Leinster rematch.
Teams –
Zebre: G Prisciantelli (S Gregory 5), J Trulla (L Morisi 74), F Paea, D Mazza, S Gesi, G Da Re, A Fusco (G Garcia 60), D Fischetti © (P Buonfiglio 68), T Di Bartolomeo (L Bigi 59), M Hasa (J Pitinari 55), M Canali, L Krumov, D Ruggeri (G Ferrari 52), B Stavile (R Nasove 64), G Licata
Glasgow Warriors: J McKay; S Cancelliere, O Smith (S Kennedy 60), S McDowall, K Steyn ©; A Hastings (T Jordan 41), J Dobie; J Bhatti (P Shickerling 41), G Hiddleston (J Matthews 72), F Richardson (S Talakai 41), J Ogunitibeju, A Samuel, E Ferrie, S Vailanu (R Darge 60), J Mann.
Referee: Peter Martin (IRFU)
Scorers –
Zebre Parma: Pens: Da Re 2
Glasgow Warriors: Tries: McKay, McDowall; Cons: Jordan 2.
Scoring sequence (Zebre first): 3-0; 6-0; (h-t) 6-7; 6-14.
Yellow card –
Zebre Parma: Canali (42 mins)
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