Despite an inspired second half comeback that saw Connacht score 26 points, GUINNESS PRO12 champions Glasgow Warriors held on to secure a 33-32 win in front of their home crowd at Scotstoun Stadium tonight.
Pat Lam’s men were 30-6 down at one stage but fought their way back into the game and picked up two bonus points in the end, with second half scores from John Cooney, Danie Poolman, Nepia Fox-Matamua and a penalty try.
Out-half Jack Carty put in another impressive performance from the tee, kicking 12 points with two first half penalties and three successful conversions after the break.
However, when Lam and the players review this game, they will be hugely frustrated with how they allowed a weakened Warriors side to build such a sizable lead during a first half in which their defence let them down.
The westerners drew first blood with a Carty penalty after seven minutes when the hosts were penalised for collapsing the scrum. The Athlone man’s opposite number Rory Clegg, on his Glasgow debut, levelled matters just three minutes later and he kicked Glasgow into the lead after 22 minutes with another three-pointer.
Warriors full-back Glenn Bryce caught Bundee Aki napping on the half hour as he sidestepped past him, opening up a gap for him to run in the opening try of the night from 10 metres out. Clegg maintained his 100% kicking record, albeit with his conversion going over off the right hand post.
Then, just five minutes later, the 18-year-old Scott Cummings scored his first try for the Scots, with the debutant second row getting low to wriggle over the try-line from seven metres out. Clegg added the extras while Carty closed out the half with a penalty of his own from the 10-metre line for a 23-6 scoreline.
Gregor Townsend’s charges came out firing in the second period and instantly got over for a third try. Scrum half Cooney unfortunately slipped as he attempted a box kick on his 22-metre line, and captain Rob Harley gobbled up the loose ball to dart over to the right of the posts and Clegg converted.
But the visitors did not drop their heads despite the 30-6 scoreline. Cooney, redeeming himself for the earlier error, pounced when the Connacht pack drove the Glasgow scrum backwards into their 22, the scrum half linking with number 8 Eoghan Masterson on a blindside attack and Carty converting to reduce the arrears to 17 points.
Connacht continued their second half dominance at scrum time and the Warriors were repeatedly warned about collapsing. Referee Ian Davies was left with no choice when sin-binning prop Zander Fagerson for repeated infringements and then awarding a penalty try to bring Connacht even closer on the scoreboard.
It quickly became 30-25 as Connacht’s young centre Rory Parata, off another dominant scrum, put a perfectly-weighted grubber kick in behind the Glasgow defence and winger Poolman outpaced the covering Scott Wight near the left touchline to collect the ball and touch down in the corner.
Having leaked 19 unanswered points, the game’s momentum swung again as Warriors number eight Adam Ashe was held up over the try-line and the resulting pressure led to a 68th minute penalty in front of the posts which Clegg tucked away.
However, it was a brief respite, as seven solid minutes of Connacht pressure were finally rewarded, Kiwi flanker Fox-Matamua brilliantly spinning off the back of a rolling maul near the left corner to notch his second PRO12 try in seven days. And Carty produced a perfect touchline conversion to move Connacht to within a single point of the hosts.
Ultimately, though, time ran out on Connacht’s comeback bid as they fell just short of a famous victory. They were left with two PRO12 points as their only consolation from this early season trip to Scotstoun.
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