Warriors make it seven in a row against Blues

Impact substitute Niko Matawalu scored a brace of tries to wrap up victory in Mark Hammett’s first competitive game in charge after Sean Lamont’s opportunistic score had put the Warriors in control at half-time. 

Two penalties apiece from Henry Pyrgos and Duncan Weir in reply to Rhys Patchell’s four converted efforts kept the Blues at arms-length throughout. 

Patchell got the Blues off to a flying start after just three minutes. The visitors were penalised for entering a powerful Cardiff maul from the side and the Wales outside-half stepped up to convert from wide on left-hand side. 

But the Blues’ lead did not last long. Pyrgos got his side back on level terms with a short-range penalty after Matthew Rees put his hands on the scrum-half, before the hooker felt the referee’s wrath once again and handed Gregor Townsend’s men the advantage.

The in-form Patchell, fresh from his man-of-the-match performance against Zebre in Parma, got the Blues back level five minutes later from right in-front of the posts after Glasgow handled the ball on the ground. But Glasgow got the first try of the game through Scotland wing Lamont. 

Cory Allen was robbed of the ball on the half-way line and the former Scarlet sprinted 50 metres and beat Rhys Patchell to score in the left-hand corner. But the Blues crept back within four points five minutes after the break when Rhys Patchell belted over a penalty from 55 metres following a powerful scrum drive. 

Matawalu and Duncan Weir were introduced on 54 minutes and the Fijian number nine made an instant impact. 
With his first touch of the ball, he pounced upon a loose-pass intended for Dan Fish and raced into the corner, Patchell could not stop the tricky replacement from producing a fine finish.

Duncan Weir then added two penalties to stretch the Warriors lead. But it was his half-back partner Matawalu who raced over the line to wrap up the four points on 70 minutes after DTH Van de Merwe fed the Fiji flyer.