Glasgow clinch PRO12 play-off spot with crushing win over Zebre
Defending champions Glasgow secured a second victory over Zebre in three weeks on Friday to guarantee a spot in this season's Guinness PRO12 play-offs.
Glasgow, who triumphed 43-14 in Parma on April 8, led 35-10 at half-time, with tries by Leone Nakarawa, Adam Ashe, Glenn Bryce (two) and Taqele Naiyaravoro. And they pulled further clear after the interval.
Nakarawa completed his hat-trick, and Greg Peterson, Ali Price and Duncan Weir all dotted down, with the latter kicking every conversion in a 70-10 rout.
The Zebre tries were scored by Kayle van Zyl and Tommaso Boni.
The result, coupled with Connacht's shock 22-21 defeat at Benetton Treviso, lifted the Warriors top of the table.
The opening score came on Glasgow's first visit to the Zebre 22, when lock Nakarawa broke a tackle to touch down and fly-half Weir converted.
Zebre immediately hit back with an unconverted try from left-winger Van Zyl.
Glasgow's second try came on 25 minutes, though, as number eight Ashe finished off a sustained attack.
The hosts then ran in three more touchdowns in a purple patch in the last 10 minutes of the half.
Full-back Bryce ran in from 40 metres following two short passes from a scrum, before the bonus-point try fell to right wing Naiyaravoro following a Weir side-foot kick. Bryce then picked up his second try, and Weir converted the lot as Glasgow surged 35-5 ahead.
There was still time for Zebre to hit back, again down the left wing, with centre Boni grabbing the unconverted score.
But the one-way traffic resumed on the restart.
Nakawara crossed for his second try three minutes into the second half, with Weir adding the extras, and 10 minutes later the big Fijian - who is heading to France at the end of the season - completed a popular hat-trick.
News filtered through that Treviso had jumped above Zebre at the foot of the standings, prompting the visitors to seek a bonus point of their own, but that meant their play became very loose.
Tries from Peterson, Price and Weir took Glasgow's try tally to 10, and their season haul so far to 67 - four more than the total for last term.
