THIS effort from the Glasgow Warriors, while gaining a bonus point for five tries on the night against Newport Gwent Dragons, lacked frills or thrills. But as they say, a win is a win, especially when it gets your season back on track after an uninspiring first loss of the season just a week prior.

Warriors coach Dave Rennie was however, happy enough with the night’s work.

“We dominated possession and it was a big step up from last week,” he admitted. “I thought we strangled them at the right end of the field and I’m happy we got a result in the end. We can still be better and will have to be against Zebre and Saracens.”

Rennie hadn’t spared many from the debacle last weekend against the Southern Kings, just four of the starting XV from Saturday week making it in to the side that kicked-off at Scotstoun last night.

Interestingly, the Glasgow team that paraded more Joneses than a Welsh outfit must be something of a rarity, but it’s not unusual.

One of those Jones boys, Huw, almost bagged a try after less than two minutes, Ali Price’s initial break releasing Niko Matawalu, but his poor pass slipped through the fingertips of Jones.

However, that incursion gave Warriors a foothold in Dragons territory, and after a rumbling maul and line-out, loosehead Oli Kebble bounced through for a score, Adam Hastings adding the extras.

The seven-point advantage was short lived as Arwel Robson slotted a penalty. Neither side showed many flashes of inspiration during a hard fought, territorial joust, although the Dragons probably appeared more in the Warriors half and on the front-foot, leading to another penalty goal from Robson to make it 7-6 midway through the first period.

Hastings tried desperately to give Warriors some traction, with a couple of jinking half-breaks, but this was already a dour struggle between two packs, good at holding on to their own ball but without making much of it.

Even when camped on the Dragons line, through a dozen phases, Glasgow still couldn’t breach a well-set blue line.

Thankfully, Glasgow added a second try just before the turnaround.

Hastings somehow managed to spin out of a tackle in centre field, advancing at pace before throwing an unorthodox pass out wide to right-wing Lee Jones, who cut inside to escape the cover defence, going in on the corner. Hastings, from wide, struck the upright with the conversion.

That score must have given Jones a taste for more, for within minutes of the restart, he had crossed for his second touchdown of the evening. After the forwards had driven Dragons to within a few feet of their own line, a quick interchange between Hastings and Alex Dunbar sent Jones over near the posts, not that it helped Hastings with his missed conversion attempt.

Dragons though, countered almost immediately. Forcing a turnover Jarryd Sage fly-hacked on, Adam Warren applied a hefty toe-ender and then won the foot race to scramble over. Josh Lewis converted. Warriors now had just a four-point lead.

However, Hastings again provided the inspiration that earned Warriors a fourth, bonus-point try, breaking right to pass to Huw Jones, the Scotland centre throwing a show-and-go to burst through for the try.

While impressive with ball in hand, Hastings was wayward from the tee.

There was as much in the way of celebration amongst the home team when they destroyed the Dragons scrum on the hour mark, Oli Kebble at his destructive best, as there was for any of the tries scored. It was an indication that Glasgow desperately wanted the job done, regardless of style, although they did finish with some when Dunbar was sent over in the shadow of the posts.