Glasgow Warriors eased ever closer to securing top spot in the Guinness Pro14 Conference A and a home semi-final in the play-offs with a record-breaking 10-try onslaught as they swept aside opponents who had no answer to their pace and power at Scotstoun.

A two-try return for DTH van der Merwe, who has held the club try scoring record since his first stint ended the day they won the Pro12 title in 2015, delighted the crowd, but it was Adam Hastings who ran the show with a masterful display as he ensured that his side capitalised fully on their dominance, setting up try after try and converting eight of them.

Glasgow had early opportunities to gain the upper hand when, after a fine Hastings kick had taken them deep into the Zebre half, Callum Gibbins capitalised on a bad lineout throw to steal possession, then a few moments later when Sam Johnson seized on a loose ball after a Zebre handling error on their own 22.

Both times the visitors got out of trouble with some fine counter-rucking, but when they subsequently got a bit too eager to get to the ball close to halfway, it allowed Hastings to pin them back again.

This time it was the Warriors put-in to the lineout and after their first attempt to drive over was stopped illegally, they made as if to do the same second time around, only to quickly release the ball to their backs and with Zebre over-committed to stopping the maul, Hastings was left with the straightforward job of sending his pass over the last defender to let Van der Merwe stroll over just seven minutes into his playing return to Scotstoun.

Five minutes later the Italians were caught cold again after conceding another penalty just inside their own half. This time Henry Pyrgos realised that the defence was too slow to re-organise after the offence and he took a quick tap penalty, releasing Johnson who found support from Hastings whose attempt at a return pass missed his intended target but was gathered by the supporting Ruaridh Jackson who dived in under the posts.

Twelve minutes gone and the Warriors were halfway towards their principal target for the evening and while Zebre then showed some spirit, they were unable to make anything of a spell of pressure before further blunders then proved costly when play returned to their 22. Lee Jones was quick to react to the first as Edoardo Padovani failed to gather a pass, the winger hacking the ball ahead and looking set to capitalise by collecting the ball just short of the try line.

His attempt to do so was thwarted by the covering Carlo Canna, but the contact was made before he had touched the ball and after first consulting his touch judge, then the television replay official, referee Craig Evans awarded a penalty try and showed the international stand off a yellow card.

In his absence it took Glasgow only three minutes to secure their bonus point, that man Van der Merwe sailing through a gap in midfield where Canna might have been and celebrating his second score of the night with an exaggerated swallow dive.

The rout continued, with Hastings further making his case to be the man to replace Finn Russell as the team’s first-choice play-maker when the Scotland man heads for France, as he set up their fifth try with an arcing run across halfway before he stepped inside the last defender, then delivered a perfect pass to give half-back partner Pyrgos the easiest of run-ins.

Even on Canna’s return there was no respite as his opposite number tormented Padova with a perfectly weighted grubber kick which ran out of steam just short of the try-line, resulting in the full-back being swamped by chasing Warriors as he fielded the ball and after the forwards had some fun in tenderising their opponents, Hastings got another assist when the ball was delivered following a ruck on the right and he sent Jackson into the corner for his second.

Little more than a minute into the second half Jones broke clear on the right to claim the try he had been denied by Canna’s illegal intervention.

Zebre finally got on the scoreboard when Canna sneaked over from close range nine minutes into the second half for a try he converted himself, but that indignity brought an immediate riposte as Zander Fagerson ploughed in for the first try by a Glasgow forward, but he was soon followed over by Callum Gibbins, touching down as the pack drove over from a close range lineout, his last involvement marking the captain for the night’s return after a three month absence through injury.

With quarter of an hour’s play remaining replacement winger Lelia Masaga took the Warriors’ try count to double figures, taking the margin beyond their previous record set when they registered a 70-10 win against the same opponents three years ago.