Glasgow Warriors and their supporters in a bumper 10,000 Scotstoun crowd were given a reminder that a substantial gap still remains to be bridged if they are to challenge Europe’s best as the defending champion Scarlets comprehensively outplayed them to inflict their first home PRO14 defeat of the season on them when it mattered last night.

Only once in winning all 10 of their home league matches had the Warriors failed to register a bonus point, but while their performance was blighted by blunders from start to finish, it was their visitors who had also contested a semi-final in the European Champions Cup, who scored four tries this time to set up a 28-3 lead after just 45 minutes before controlling the closing stages.

Even before kick off things had gone wrong for them when two-time British & Irish Lions full-back Stuart Hogg dropped out through illness and it got little better as the match got underway when, from the kick off, skipper Ryan Wilson led by the worst possible example in conceding a penalty which immediately handed the initiative to the visitors.

Their attempt to take advantage stalled when Hadleigh Parkes knocked on 20 metres from the home line, but when the Warriors front-row was then penalised at the scrum they paid the full price. Rhys Patchell sent the ball into the corner and the lineout drive was duly set up before Gareth Davies darted for the line. The scrum-half was stopped short, but he had committed defenders and when Tom Prydie then fired the quickly recycled ball at Patchell the stand off made as if to go on Nick Grigg’s inside before stepping off his right foot around the little centre and over close to the posts for a try he converted himself.

There was a poignant moment when Scotland captain John Barclay had to be helped from the field, supporters from both clubs rising to their feet in tribute, while the home support were given something more encouraging to applaud when Finn Russell, on his last appearance as a Glasgow Warrior, registered their first points with a straightforward penalty.

However, the visitors were soon in the ascendancy again, Parkes this time doing everything right as he broke a tackle on the Warriors 10 metre line, accelerated into space, then found support on his inside from Gareth Davies who had the pace to go round the last man and in close to posts, Patchell again converting.

The Scarlets were clinical once again when they sniffed an opportunity as George Horne sent a box kick too far downfield, giving Johnny McNicholl time and room to weigh up his options. He made ground then fed Steff Evans who did likewise down the left touchline before off-loading out of a tackle to Davies who committed the last man before feeding Rob Evans to give the prop an easy run-in.

With the home side desperately needing to score next, Horne was denied a try when the scoring pass from Siua Halanukonuka, who had replaced the injured Zander Fagerson, was ruled to have been forward and in the last play of the opening half, after Russell had sent a penalty to the corner once again, the pack drove over from the resultant lineout, but were prevented from grounding the ball.

The contest looked over five minutes into the second half when Grigg was sin-binned for stealing the ball from an offside position at a breakdown just feet from the Glasgow line, the Scarlets pack then showing their opponents how to finish a close range lineout drive, with their skipper Ken Owens claiming the touchdown.

With the clock having just passed the hour mark the Warriors finally responded when they were awarded a penalty five metres out after DTH van der Merwe had made good ground down the left and Russell tapped it quickly and fed Jonny Gray who was helped over the line by Rob Harley.

Russell’s conversion miss meant the gap remained 20 points however, leaving his side 20 minutes to score three converted tries.

They should have had the first of them when Nick Grigg barrelled his way over close to the line, consultation with the replay official confirming the score but Peter Horne, who had replaced Russell a few minutes earlier, hit the post with the easy conversion attempt, leaving them three scores and too much to do with just seven minutes remaining.