Glasgow Warriors 22-19 Connacht

Glasgow Warriors showed their strength in depth at Scotstoun this afternoon, earning a 22-19 victory over Connacht in front of the Warrior Nation to keep pace at the top of the BKT United Rugby Championship.

A brace from Sebastian Cancelliere and a try from BKT Player of the Match Ben Afshar, allied to seven points from captain Duncan Weir, saw Franco Smith’s men get the better of their Irish opponents on a wintry afternoon in Glasgow.

Having weathered an early wave of Connacht possession with an impressive spell of defence, the Warriors struck first with nine minutes on the clock. Ollie Smith’s half-break through the middle caused the visitors to be caught offside, and with the wind at his back skipper Weir made no mistake from 40 metres to split the uprights for a 3-0 lead.

Connacht would go straight back on the attack from the restart, yet despite phase upon phase of possession in the Glasgow 22, they could find no breakthrough. Weir and Duncan Munn were leading the speed off the line from the backs, whilst Henco Venter and Fin Richardson were prominent in the tight exchanges.

The breakthrough would eventually arrive on 19 minutes though, as the visitors struck for the opening try. David Hawkshaw’s charge-down of Smith’s clearing kick saw the Connacht centre regather for the score, and whilst the conversion drifted wide, the Irishmen led 5-3.

Glasgow’s response was swift, and exactly what the Warrior Nation were looking for. Venter’s alertness saw the flanker burst up the touchline and into the Connacht 22, linking with Ben Afshar on his inside. When the ball was recycled, slick hands from Weir and Smith sent Cancelliere through a gap and racing over the whitewash, Weir converting for a 10-5 advantage.

The Warriors were motoring now, and a second try arrived with seven minutes left in the half. Richardson’s footwork at close quarters saw the tight-head break into open space, before finding Alex Samuel on his shoulder. The second-rower drew the last man before sending Afshar on course for the line, the scrum-half finishing superbly under pressure from the scramble defence. Weir navigated a swirling Scotstoun wind superbly from the touchline, giving Glasgow a 17-5 lead.

It was a lead that they would hold until the interval, only for Connacht to strike back with less than two minutes gone after the restart. Working the overlap on the blindside, Byron Ralston was the man to send Hawkshaw over for his second score of the afternoon, JJ Hanrahan converting to narrow the deficit to just five points.

Hanrahan missed the chance to cut the gap yet further as he saw a penalty attempt ricochet off the upright and into the arms of Weir, as the swirling wind was joined by a sheet of icy January rain under the Scotstoun floodlights. Instead, it was the Warriors who were next to cross the whitewash to the delight of the Scotstoun faithful. Weir’s show-and-go almost saw the fly-half make it to the line himself, before getting back to his feet to flip Afshar’s pass on to Josh McKay. The full-back in turn just about Cancelliere, the winger diving over to make it 22-12 to the home side as the game approached the hour mark.

Back came the visitors once more, as the Connacht pack looked to go to work inside the Glasgow 22. Yet the men in black stood firm, Euan Ferrie and Samuel leading the defensive stand on their own five-metre line.

With four minutes to go, the visitors would set up a grandstand finish by crossing for their third try of the evening in front of the West Stand. Josh Murphy’s short line on the Glasgow 22 saw the flanker send Piers O’Conor over next to the posts, and with Hanrahan’s conversion narrowing the gap to three points, the Warrior Nation roused themselves to rally behind their team one final time.

Straight from the kick-off, however, the Warriors sealed the deal. A penalty at the breakdown gave Glasgow possession in Connacht territory, and it was eventually left to Afshar to apply the final blow, booting the ball into the Main Stand to bring down the curtain on a physical affair at the home of the Warriors.

Four points and consolidating second position in the BKT URC – a fortnight’s break now precedes a trip to the Dragons, as the Warriors continue their pursuit of a place in the playoffs.