United Rugby Championship: Glasgow Warriors 29-27 Connacht - Hosts prevail in dramatic finale
- Published
Huw Jones scored the first of four Glasgow tries, but was forced off injured before half-time.
United Rugby Championship |
|---|
Glasgow Warriors (19) 29 |
Tries: Jones, Jordan, Price, Matthews Cons: Jordan 2, Horne Pen: Horne |
Connacht (17) 27 |
Tries: Penalty try, Prendergast, Hurley-Langton Cons: Carty 2 Pens: Carty 2 |
Glasgow Warriors end the regular United Rugby Championship season unbeaten at Scotstoun after edging dogged Connacht.
Warriors were already guaranteed fourth spot and a home quarter-final against Munster, while Connacht now face a trip to Ulster, and a wait to see if seventh place will be sufficient to qualify for next season's Champions Cup.
Shamus Hurley-Langton's try set up a thrilling finale, but Glasgow held out.
The sides split seven tries, five of them scored in an open first half.
Glasgow rampaged out of the traps, with characteristically slick handling and incisive bursts culminating in man of the match Rory Darge putting Huw Jones over with barely 90 seconds gone.
Connacht responded with two thunderous five-metre scrummages, the latter yielding a penalty try.
The lively Tom Jordan powered home for Glasgow, but a Jack Carty penalty and Cian Prendergast's close-range drive put the visitors ahead.
Another fabulous Glasgow move featuring big contributions by Stafford McDowall and Sione Vailanu was finished off by Ali Price shortly before half-time.
Free-scoring hooker Johnny Matthews plunged home with 18 minutes left to secure the Warriors' bonus point, and despite Hurley-Langton and the boot of Jack Carty setting up a nail-biting final three minutes, Glasgow halted their advances with the clock red.
Connacht's record-equalling six-game URC winning streak is halted, but they do avoid a punishing long-haul journey to Cape Town and defending champions Stormers.
Seventh place will only be enough to guarantee Champions Cup qualification if Scarlets fail to win the Challenge Cup.
Ironically, Glasgow could do them a massive favour, since they travel to West Wales for a mouth-watering European semi-final next Saturday.
Head coach Franco Smith may count the cost of a heavy injury toll, his side finishing the game with a makeshift backline having lost stand-in wing Jamie Dobie, full-back Jones and wing Cole Forbes to injury, leaving back-row Matt Fagerson filling in at centre.
But after a 17th home match unbeaten, Glasgow can look forward to an exhilarating end to the season, with the Scarlets semi-final followed by the URC last-eight visit of Munster the following weekend.
Should Warriors prevail, they will take on Leinster away or Sharks at home in the semi-finals.
Glasgow Warriors: Jones, Forbes, McDowall, Johnson, Dobie, Jordan, Price, Dell, Brown, Sordoni, Gray, Cummings, Darge, Vailanu, Dempsey.
Replacements: Matthews, Bhatti, Z Fagerson, Du Preez, Bean, M Fagerson, Horne, Miotti.
Connacht: O'Halloran, Porch, Farrell, Forde, Ralston, Carty, Blade, Buckley, Tierney-Martin, Bealham, Dowling, N Murray, Murphy, Oliver, Prendergast.
Replacements: De Buitlear, Dooley, Illo, D Murray, Hurley-Langton, Marmion, Daly, Jennings.