European Champions Cup: Glasgow Warriors 22-5 Racing 92

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Stuart Hogg scores for GlasgowImage source, SNS
Image caption,

Stuart Hogg scored for Glasgow Warriors after half-time

European Champions Cup, Pool Three:

Glasgow Warriors (3) 22

Try: Hogg Con: Russell Pens: Russell 3, Weir 2

Racing 92 (0) 5

Try: Gomes Sa

Glasgow Warriors bowed out of the Champions Cup with a morale-boosting victory over Racing 92 at a wet Rugby Park in Kilmarnock.

Finn Russell put Warriors 3-0 ahead at half-time and 19 second-half points to Racing's five - a Cedate Gomes Sa try - put the French Top 14 leaders away.

The critical score was Stuart Hogg's try midway through the second period.

Eleven points in total from Russell's boot and six more from Duncan Weir secured the win.

It brought an end to a four-match losing run for Gregor Townsend's Glasgow, but there was a worry also. Alex Dunbar, so important for Scotland in the upcoming Six Nations, limped off early in the second half.

On the face of it, there was nothing to play for in Ayrshire for either side. Racing were guaranteed top spot in the group, and a home quarter-final to boot, no matter how they performed. Glasgow were going out, save for a lottery-esque series of improbable events happening elsewhere.

Image source, SNS
Image caption,

Finn Russell kicked 11 points and set-up Stuart Hogg's try

But there was a sub-plot. Glasgow needed to put an end to their long losing run. This they did in as much style as you could have hoped for in the conditions.

Russell's early penalty put Glasgow ahead but they had to wait another 40 minutes for the next score - a second penalty for Russell.

Hogg's try came in the 56th minute and it was a triumph of patience and accuracy, Russell giving the pass to the full-back to dart through the gap.

The stand-off added the conversion to make it 13-0 and then put over another penalty for 16-0 just after the hour.

Even when Racing struck, predictably off a driven lineout that saw Gomes Sa, the substitute prop, crashing over, Glasgow came back. Duncan Weir, on for Russell, landed a touchline penalty to stretch the gap to 14 points.

As Glasgow applied the pressure and forced penalty after penalty from Racing, Weir put over another three-pointer to make it 22-5.

In a disappointing campaign, this was a positive conclusion - and an end to that awful losing sequence, for which Townsend will be giving thanks.

Glasgow Warriors: Hogg, Naiyaravoro, Dunbar, Johnson, Seymour, Russell, Price, Allan, Mamukashvili, Puafisi, Peterson, Gray, Eddie, Favaro, Nakarawa.

Replacements: Jones for Dunbar (50), Weir for Russell (61), Hart for Price (61), Yanuyanutawa for Allan (57), Malcolm for Mamukashvili (57), Fagerson for Puafisi (57), Cummings for Peterson (69), Fusaro for Favaro (52).

Racing 92: Dulin, Dupichot, Chavancy, Dumoulin, Andreu, Tales, Machenaud, Brugnaut, Chat, Ducalcon, Charteris, Van Der Merwe, Lauret, Le Roux, Masoe.

Replacements: Dambielle for Tales (69), Chauveau for Machenaud (50), Khinchagishili for Brugnaut (50), Lacombe for Chat (50), Gomes Sa for Ducalcon (50), Kruger for Van Der Merwe (70), Dubarry for Le Roux (66). Not Used: Dussartre.

Att: 9,063.

Ref: Wayne Barnes (RFU).

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