Glasgow win ding-dong battle

DTH van der Merwe: Crossed for a crucial late score for Glasgow

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• Glasgow
• Treviso

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Glasgow Warriors took a big step towards securing a Pro12 play-off place with a hard-fought 13-8 away win over Treviso.

Glasgow were looking to bounce back from last week's narrow defeat to Munster, while Treviso headed into the game on the back of a morale-boosting victory away at the Dragons.

The Italians crossed for the first try following a tense opening ten minutes when Brendan Williams showed great pace to touchdown after making the initial break on half-way.

Chris Burton couldn't add the extras. Duncan Weir booted over Glasgow's first points of the afternoon on 20 minutes, taking the visitors to within two points, but they were unable to add to their tally before half-time.

There were no further points scored by Treviso either, although there was drama on the half-hour mark when home scrum-half Edoardo Gori and Glasgow's Alastair Kellock were sin-binned following a fracas.

The match had become a real war of attrition, with neither side threatening to take the game by the scruff of the neck.

Treviso held onto their slender advantage until well into the second half, although Weir's second penalty of the afternoon just before the hour edged Glasgow in front for the first time.

The ding-dong battle continued 15 minutes later when a Burton penalty regained the advantage for the hosts, before Glasgow's D.T.H. van der Merwe crossed for the match-winning score just four minutes from time.

The South African-born Canadian international showed great determination to touch down in the corner for a crucial try, which Ruaridh Jackson converted, and there was no time for a Treviso fightback.

For Treviso:
Tries: Williams
Pens: Burton

For Glasgow:
Try: Van der Merwe
Con: Jackson
Pens: Weir 2

Treviso: 15 Luke McLean, 14 Tommaso Iannone, 13 Tommaso Benvenuti, 12 Alberto Sgarbi, 11 Brendan Williams, 10 Kristopher Burton, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Robert Barbieri, 7 Alessandro Zanni, 6 Manoa Vosawai, 5 Corniel Van Zyl, 4 Antonio Pavanello (c), 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Franco Sbaraglini, 1 Michele Rizzo.
Replacements: 16 Enrico Ceccato, 17 Matteo Muccignat, 18 Ignacio Fernandez-Rouyet, 19 Valerio Bernaḅ, 20 Francesco Minto, 21 Simon Picone, 22 Fabio Semenzato, 23 Alberto Di Bernardo.

Glasgow: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Alex Dunbar, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Colin Shaw, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Chris Cusiter, 8 John Barclay, 7 Chris Fusaro, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Al Kellock (capt), 4 Richie Gray, 3 Mike Cusack, 2 Pat MacArthur, 1 Ryan Grant.
Replacements: 16 Finlay Gillies, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Moray Low, 19 Tom Ryder, 20 Johnnie Beattie, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Ruaridh Jackson, 23 DTH van der Merwe.

Referee: Leighton Hodges (Wales)