Glasgow Warriors 27-19 Dragons

Glasgow (16) 27
Tries: Stortoni, Van der Merwe, Shaw. Pens: Parks 4.
Dragons (9) 19
Try: Harries. Con: Tovey. Pens: Tovey 4.

Fly-half Dan Parks kicked 12 points for Glasgow against the Dragons
Glasgow kept on course for the Magners League play-offs by holding off a determined Newport Gwent Dragons side.
Bernardo Stortoni gave Glasgow the perfect start at Firhill with an early try and a breakaway score from DTH van der Merwe underlined their dominance.
The kicking of Jason Tovey kept the Dragons in touch 16-9 at half-time.
But Dan Parks matched his rival fly-half's four penalties and Colin Shaw's try sealed a Glasgow win, with Dragon's Will Harries scoring a consolation try.
Glasgow started brightly in the Firhill sunshine and were soon stretching the Dragons defence left and right as they spread the ball at every opportunity.
That endeavour was rewarded by Stortoni's try within four minutes as the full-back hit the line and twisted through two tacklers to touch down, although Parks missed the conversion.
James Eddie had been a late change in the Warriors back-row, coming in for John Barclay, but he lasted just nine minutes before limping off to be replaced by Richie Vernon.
The Dragons had hardly dented Glasgow territory but from their first two visits came away with points as the Scots infringed, Tovey converting both penalties for a 6-5 lead.

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But Glasgow were soon back in the lead thanks to Max Evans, who read a miss-pass in the Dragons midfield and clattered Tom Riley to pop the ball loose.
Van der Merwe was on the opportunity in an instant, hacking the ball upfield and outpacing the Dragons cover to score.
Parks horribly shanked the conversion but Glasgow had regained a 10-6 lead with a quarter of the match gone.
Tovey kept the Dragons in touch with his third penalty, but Parks at last found his kicking boots to add two penalties and give the home side a 16-9 half-time lead.
Wales lock Luke Charteris did not emerge after the break because of a neck injury, with Hoani MacDonald coming off the bench in his place.
Glasgow started the second half as they had the first and the Dragons were soon defending desperately - in Matthew Watkins' case too desperately as his high tackle on opposite centre Evans earned a yellow card.
Parks compounded the punishment by kicking the resulting penalty from in front of the posts.
Tovey was unfortunate to see a long-range penalty slam back off the crossbar as the Dragons made the best of their man disadvantage, while Parks was also wide with an effort for Glasgow.
With 16 minutes remaining some great work by John Beattie, jackalling isolated Dragons ball-carrier Toby Falatau, earned another penalty that Parks converted to give Glasgow a seemingly match-winning 22-9 lead.

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Tovey's fourth penalty cut the gap to 10 points and gave the Dragons a sniff of a losing bonus point, but Glasgow snuffed that out with their third try.
Stortoni released Evans and the Scotland centre made ground before chipping ahead, the bounce favouring the Glasgow chasers with Shaw the man to gather and score an unconverted try.
Harries scored a consolation try in the 80th minute for the Dragons which, with Tovey's conversion, brought the visitors back to 27-19 down but there was no time to find another score to get within seven points.
Glasgow Warriors: Bernardo Stortoni; Colin Shaw, Max Evans, Graeme Morrison, DTH van der Merwe; Dan Parks, Mark McMillan; Kevin Tkachuk, Fergus Thomson, Moray Low, Tim Barker, Alastair Kellock (capt), James Eddie, Kelly Brown, Johnnie Beattie.
Replacements: Dougie Hall for Thomson (54), Ed Kalman for Low (75), Dan Turner for Kellock (73), Richie Vernon for Eddie (9), Colin Gregor for McMillan (67), Ruaridh Jackson for Parks (73), Hefin O'Hare.
Newport Gwent Dragons: Martyn Thomas; Will Harries, Matthew Watkins, Tom Riley, Richard Fussell; Jason Tovey, Wayne Evans; Hugh Gustafson, Tom Willis (capt), Patrick Palmer, Robert Sidoli, Luke Charteris, Andrew Coombs, Gavin Thomas, Toby Falatau.
Replacements: Steve Jones, Ben Castle for Palmer (54), James Thomas, Hoani MacDonald for Charteris (41), Rhodri Gomer-Davies for Watkins (54), James Arlidge for Tovey (76), James Leadbeater.
Att: 2,621
Referee: Alan Lewis (IRFU)

This article was originally posted on 4-Apr-2010, 16:59 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 4-Apr-2010, 20:30.