Glasgow laid a strong marker with a confident five-try defeat of Premiership side Bath that clinched a double winning start to the new European competitions for Scottish clubs. After Edinburgh's win at Bordeaux in the new European rugby Challenge Cup the night before, the Warriors launched their European Rugby Champions Cup with a comprehensive demolition of one of England's form sides of the season. Three tries in the first half was the response to a fortunate early Bath score and, after soaking up some pressure in the third quarter with a solid defence, the Warriors added to their lead with a flurry of late points. Glasgow had beaten Bath at home before, but for the first time in 18 years of European rugby, the Scottish team headed into the main tournament with genuine belief of competing with Europe's form sides as opposed to mere hope. Glasgow fullback Stuart Hogg beats Bath centre Jonathan Joseph to a high ball . In a pool featuring Toulouse and Montpellier, the quarter-finals remain some distance away, but this was as convincing a start as coach Gregor Townsend could have hoped for. Bath had won four of their first six Premiership matches, while Glasgow came into the game on the back of a first defeat in six Guinness Pro12 games. The visitors came shorn of several backrowers, notably Springbok Francois Louw, while Glasgow were also without tal ismanic No8 Josh Strauss, and the Warriors took advantage by dominating the breakdown and set-piece. Bath's Ross Batty is well tackled by the Glasgow duo of Leone Nakarawa (right) and Chris Fusaro . That ensured that the Bath danger-men, fly-half George Ford and centres Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph, had precious little ball and territory in which to cause the kind of havoc in which they have revelled this season. Ford did put the first points on the board, with a penalty from the Warriors' 10-metre line after just three minutes, awarded for a scrum collapse blamed on home loosehead Gordon Reid, and England's 'new Jonny Wilkinson' was at the heart of Bath's astute kicking game. Only stern defence, prop Euan Murray stopping Fijian/England A wing Semesa Rokoduguni and Peter Horne getting fingers to a Ford pass 15 metres from the line, kept them at bay early on. It did not take long for Glasgow to respond once they grasped the ball. Tommy Seymour made the first crucial break, rolling Anthony Watson backwards, and play was taken on into the Bath 22 wi th composure and momentum before Mark Bennet t showed hi s dancing feet to step two defenders and go in under the posts. Bath fly-half George Ford gets into a tangle with Duncan Weir during the clash at the Scotstoun Stadium . However, the capacity Scotstoun crowd was still celebrating when Bath hit back, Ford's high up-and-under being lost by Stuart Hogg's fingertips and Joseph pouncing to sprint in behind the home posts for a simple try. That handed Bath a 10-7 lead after just 12 minutes, but home fly-half Duncan Weir shifted momentum back Glasgow's way with two penalties either side of the 20-minute mark. The Warriors provided the perfect riposte, however. The defence was solid, the forwards produced superb work at the breakdown to turn over Bath and from a Pyrgos high ball, Seymour regained possession on the visitors' 22 to launch an attack that ended with Maitland crashing over on the right-hand side with 29 minutes on the clock. Eastmond was then crunched in a tackle that left the centre in obvious rib pain, and while he opted to continue - for a few more minutes - the Warriors were soon back at the Bath line. From a free-kick Pyrgos fed Hogg and he found Seymour who dived into the lefthand corner. The Scotland winger required treatment, having taken a heavy knock to the leg in scoring, but he hobbled back into position to an ovation from the stands and duly claimed the restart. Glasgow scrum-half Nico Matawalu dives over to clinch his side's fourth try and a precious bonus point . Glasgow went inside 23-10 up, and it could have been more had Weir been successful with the conversion and a penalty just before half-time. Seymour was replaced by DTH van der Merwe at half-time and Bath strived to regain parity in the forward exchanges, sending on experienced front rows Rob Webber, Paul James and David Wilson and also replacing backs Gavin Henson and Micky Young with Horacio Agulla and Peter Stringer. It stemmed the Glasgow momentum but failed to change the outcome. Glasgow's defence was opened up twice by Rokoduguni and Ford, and only a last-ditch tackle by Pat MacArthur and Murray denied Bath skipper Hooper from scoring, but the Warriors soaked up that period of Bath pressure and lifted the tempo again in a pulsating final quarter. A huge cheer greeted the introduction on the hour of Niko Matawalu, for skipper Pyrgos who was voted Man of the Match, and within minutes he showed why. Weir and substitute Finn Russell (right) celebrate a job well done at full-time . The Fijian magician had seized on a turnover, chipped the ball through the Bath defence and reacted first to Bennett's hack forward to snatch up the ball and score in the right-hand corner - even throwing in a cheeky dummy to Maitland before doing so. Weir converted from the touchline for a 30-10 lead, but that only fired the Warriors further and superb inter-play by Bennett and van der Merwe ended with another chip ahead and Bennett touching down with 10 minutes to go. Bath's spirited attempts to finish with a flourish foundered on the Glasgow rocks, too, which left the home support toasting their team's most impressive home win in Europe.
Tries from Mark Bennett (two), Sean Maitland, Tommy Seymour and Nico Matawalu ensure stunning triumph over in-form Bath .
Bath could only muster sole Jonathan Joseph try and five points from the boot of George Ford in reply .
Deal to bring Steffon Armitage to Bath fell through during the week .
Glasgow laid a strong marker with a confident five-try defeat of Premiership side Bath that clinched a double winning start to the new European competitions for Scottish clubs. After Edinburgh's win at Bordeaux in the new European rugby Challenge Cup the night before, the Warriors launched their European Rugby Champions Cup with a comprehensive demolition of one of England's form sides of the season. Three tries in the first half was the response to a fortunate early Bath score and, after soaking up some pressure in the third quarter with a solid defence, the Warriors added to their lead with a flurry of late points. Glasgow had beaten Bath at home before, but for the first time in 18 years of European rugby, the Scottish team headed into the main tournament with genuine belief of competing with Europe's form sides as opposed to mere hope. Glasgow fullback Stuart Hogg beats Bath centre Jonathan Joseph to a high ball . In a pool featuring Toulouse and Montpellier, the quarter-finals remain some distance away, but this was as convincing a start as coach Gregor Townsend could have hoped for. Bath had won four of their first six Premiership matches, while Glasgow came into the game on the back of a first defeat in six Guinness Pro12 games. The visitors came shorn of several backrowers, notably Springbok Francois Louw, while Glasgow were also without tal ismanic No8 Josh Strauss, and the Warriors took advantage by dominating the breakdown and set-piece. Bath's Ross Batty is well tackled by the Glasgow duo of Leone Nakarawa (right) and Chris Fusaro . That ensured that the Bath danger-men, fly-half George Ford and centres Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph, had precious little ball and territory in which to cause the kind of havoc in which they have revelled this season. Ford did put the first points on the board, with a penalty from the Warriors' 10-metre line after just three minutes, awarded for a scrum collapse blamed on home loosehead Gordon Reid, and England's 'new Jonny Wilkinson' was at the heart of Bath's astute kicking game. Only stern defence, prop Euan Murray stopping Fijian/England A wing Semesa Rokoduguni and Peter Horne getting fingers to a Ford pass 15 metres from the line, kept them at bay early on. It did not take long for Glasgow to respond once they grasped the ball. Tommy Seymour made the first crucial break, rolling Anthony Watson backwards, and play was taken on into the Bath 22 wi th composure and momentum before Mark Bennet t showed hi s dancing feet to step two defenders and go in under the posts. Bath fly-half George Ford gets into a tangle with Duncan Weir during the clash at the Scotstoun Stadium . However, the capacity Scotstoun crowd was still celebrating when Bath hit back, Ford's high up-and-under being lost by Stuart Hogg's fingertips and Joseph pouncing to sprint in behind the home posts for a simple try. That handed Bath a 10-7 lead after just 12 minutes, but home fly-half Duncan Weir shifted momentum back Glasgow's way with two penalties either side of the 20-minute mark. The Warriors provided the perfect riposte, however. The defence was solid, the forwards produced superb work at the breakdown to turn over Bath and from a Pyrgos high ball, Seymour regained possession on the visitors' 22 to launch an attack that ended with Maitland crashing over on the right-hand side with 29 minutes on the clock. Eastmond was then crunched in a tackle that left the centre in obvious rib pain, and while he opted to continue - for a few more minutes - the Warriors were soon back at the Bath line. From a free-kick Pyrgos fed Hogg and he found Seymour who dived into the lefthand corner. The Scotland winger required treatment, having taken a heavy knock to the leg in scoring, but he hobbled back into position to an ovation from the stands and duly claimed the restart. Glasgow scrum-half Nico Matawalu dives over to clinch his side's fourth try and a precious bonus point . Glasgow went inside 23-10 up, and it could have been more had Weir been successful with the conversion and a penalty just before half-time. Seymour was replaced by DTH van der Merwe at half-time and Bath strived to regain parity in the forward exchanges, sending on experienced front rows Rob Webber, Paul James and David Wilson and also replacing backs Gavin Henson and Micky Young with Horacio Agulla and Peter Stringer. It stemmed the Glasgow momentum but failed to change the outcome. Glasgow's defence was opened up twice by Rokoduguni and Ford, and only a last-ditch tackle by Pat MacArthur and Murray denied Bath skipper Hooper from scoring, but the Warriors soaked up that period of Bath pressure and lifted the tempo again in a pulsating final quarter. A huge cheer greeted the introduction on the hour of Niko Matawalu, for skipper Pyrgos who was voted Man of the Match, and within minutes he showed why. Weir and substitute Finn Russell (right) celebrate a job well done at full-time . The Fijian magician had seized on a turnover, chipped the ball through the Bath defence and reacted first to Bennett's hack forward to snatch up the ball and score in the right-hand corner - even throwing in a cheeky dummy to Maitland before doing so. Weir converted from the touchline for a 30-10 lead, but that only fired the Warriors further and superb inter-play by Bennett and van der Merwe ended with another chip ahead and Bennett touching down with 10 minutes to go. Bath's spirited attempts to finish with a flourish foundered on the Glasgow rocks, too, which left the home support toasting their team's most impressive home win in Europe.
flurry of late points. Glasgow had beaten Bath at Bath danger-men, fly-half George Ford and centres Kyle Eastmond and Jonathan Joseph, had precious board, with a penalty from the Warriors' 10-metre grasped the ball. Tommy Seymour made the first Matawalu dives over to clinch his side's fourth try and a precious bonus point . Glasgow went through the Bath defence and reacted first to