Following last week’s emphatic 49-0 demolition of Dragons at Scotstoun, head coach Franco Smith made sweeping changes – 12 in total, including three positional switches. Only captain Kyle Steyn, Tuipulotu, and Hastings retained their starting spots in the same roles as the previous round. The reshuffle did nothing to dull Glasgow’s edge, though, as the visitors carried their momentum down to Wales in convincing fashion.

Smith was naturally very happy with his team’s performance. He said: “Satisfied doesn’t come easy but I’m delighted by the fact that we performed well. There was good energy and we were technically good. What I expected from this team is what I saw. There was obviously progression and that’s what we are looking for. We found a good balance of keeping the ball with the forwards and using the backs. We mustn’t underestimate Ospreys. They are a very good team and well coached. We had to break them down. I wouldn’t underestimate the fact that we constructed a very good win tonight.”

Smith was also quick to emphasise areas his team can still improve though, “Consistency is obviously what we are after. I still feel our scrum can improve. There’s a challenge ahead with the Autumn Series round to corner. The main objective is to hit the ground running after the Autumn break. Every player in the squad will have to step-up because of how condensed tournaments are with the Six Nations lurking at the back of it. There’s a lot of work around the squad still to be done.”

The game got off to a chaotic start. Barely a minute in, Ospreys won a scrum inside Glasgow territory, from which Patrick Shickerling was penalised for collapsing. The hosts kicked to the corner, and after back-to-back infringements from Glasgow at the maul, Ospreys were awarded a penalty try, with Kyle Rowe shown a yellow card.

Confusion briefly reigned as the TMO intervened, with referee Andrea Piardi eventually overturning the try due to a previous infringement by Ospreys when forming the maul – the try was disallowed and Rowe returned to the field.

Glasgow quickly regained composure. Half-backs Dobie and Hastings controlled territory with intelligent kicking, pinning Ospreys deep in their half. That pressure earned a lineout in the visitors’ 22, from which a neat move saw Dobie dive over for the game’s opening try.

Moments later, his opposite number responded in kind. Another Glasgow scrum infringement handed Ospreys field position, and after several strong carries, Reuben Morgan-Williams sniped over from close range to level the scores.

The parity was short-lived. From the kickoff, Glasgow almost immediately worked their way deep into Ospreys territory. From there, slick handling and strong carries opened space on the right wing for captain Steyn, who cruised in unopposed – impressive execution given the wet conditions.

The next points wouldn’t have pleased the Glasgow coaches so much. From a central scrum in their own half, Glasgow looked poised to simply clear, but Morgan Morse won a ruck turnover with frustrating ease. Dan Edwards converted the penalty to narrow the gap.

Ospreys skipper Dewi Lake was then sin-binned for a high tackle on Murphy Walker. The TMO deemed it not worthy of a red, citing Walker’s late change of direction – a reprieve that even Lake seemed a touch surprised by. Despite the numerical advantage, Glasgow failed to make it count during the sin bin period, squandering several chances through handling errors and poor support at the breakdown.

Once Lake returned, they immediately corrected that though. A string of Ospreys penalties prompted a warning from Piardi, and Hastings kicked to the corner. The ensuing maul was rampant, with most the backline in at one point and Johnny Matthews powered over for a trademark score.

Glasgow stamp their authority on the second half

The hosts needed a fast start to the second half to prevent Glasgow from pulling away – and they didn’t disappoint. Within minutes, Ospreys worked their way deep into Glasgow’s 22, where powerful carries from Ross Moriarty and Morse created space for winger Luke Morgan – a late replacement for the injured Keelan Giles – to dive over in the corner.

Glasgow’s response was swift. Just minutes later, a series of hard carries around the fringes opened a gap in Ospreys’ defence, and Dobie strolled through to score beneath the posts. Hastings converted to immediately cancel out Ospreys’ effort.

After a shaky first half at the scrum, the introduction of Nathan McBeth on his return from injury steadied the ship for the visitors. The loosehead won a penalty by pressuring young tighthead Kian Hire, and from the resulting lineout, Glasgow executed clinically – Ferrie finishing in the left corner to stretch their advantage.

As the half wore on, the tough conditions made handling difficult for both sides. With the wind at their backs, Glasgow managed territory intelligently, keeping Ospreys pinned deep. The game became increasingly scrappy, dominated by kicking exchanges, broken by breakaway tries, rather than sustained attacking phases.

Ospreys eventually tired under Glasgow’s pressure. A quick tap from a penalty seemed to yield a first try for new signing Alex Craig – the Scotland lock crossing in the corner – but it was ruled out after TMO review for a clumsy clear-out by replacement fly-half Dan Lancaster earlier in the move.

The Warriors had the final say, however. Replacement lock Jare Oguntibeju secured a lineout moments after coming on, and yet another dominant Glasgow maul powered over – flanker Macenzzie Duncan applying the finishing touch for their sixth try of the night.

Wins away from home are invaluable in the URC. Glasgow’s home record is formidable in recent years – just three regular-season defeats at Scotstoun since the start of the 2021/22 campaign – but wins on the road are a more valuable currency. Ospreys finished 12th last season with 7 wins – but 6 of those were at home. This victory in Bridgend will be even sweeter for Glasgow given that one of those three losses at Scotstoun was inflicted by Ospreys last season, when Jack Walsh’s 81st minute penalty sunk Warriors at the death.

Teams –

Ospreys: J Walsh; D Kasende (M Nagy 65), P Cokanasiga, T Florence, L Morgan (I Hopkins 53); D Edwards, R Morgan-Williams (L Davies 71); G Thomas (G Phillips 45), D Lake © (E Lewis 52), B Warren (K Hire 55), R Davies, J Fender, J Ratti (G Evans 65), M  Morse (E Lewis 28-38), R Moriarty

Glasgow Warriors: O Smith; K Steyn ©, S McDowall, S Tuipulotu, K Rowe (B Afshar 63); A Hastings (D Lancaster 67), J Dobie; P Schickerling (N McBeth 53), J Matthews (S Stephen 72), M Walker (S Talakai 53), M Williamson (A Craig 53), A Samuel (J Oguntibeju 73), E Ferrie, A Fraser (M Duncan 67), M Fagerson

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)

Scorers –

Ospreys: Tries: R Morgan-Williams, L Morgan ; Cons: D Edwards 2 ; Pens: D Edwards

 Glasgow: Tries: J Dobie 2, K Steyn, J Matthews, E Ferrie, M Duncan ; Cons: A Hastings 6

Scoring sequence (Ospreys first): 0-5, 0-7, 5-7, 7-7, 7-12, 7-14, 10-14, 10-19, 10-21, 15-21, 17-21, 17-26, 17-28, 17-33, 17-35, 17-40, 17-42

Yellow card: Dewi Lake (Ospreys)