Gwalia Lightning 43-5 Glasgow Warriors
24 Feb 2024Scrum and line-out dominance saw the Warriors gain possession and ground but was ultimately not enough to take the win in Belfast.
A bright, cool day set the scene for a fantastic game of rugby for the Round 7 Celtic Challenge clash at Kingspan Stadium, Belfast, on Saturday afternoon. This was Glasgow’s last game in the competition this year.
Lightning came into this game having recorded a 36-19 win over Glasgow at Cardiff Arms Park back in January.
A dominant first quarter from Glasgow drew penalty after penalty from the Lightning. Holland Bogan’s defensive effort paired with Allie Tucker’s ball carrying meant that possession went the Warriors’ way. Scrum and lineout dominance helped the Warriors gain ground against the Lightning.
The Warriors then showed what they were all about with a wave after wave of attack and Lightning lost second row Erin Jones to a yellow card and went down to 14 players.
Despite a huge defensive effort, Lightning scored two tries in the first half, taking the half-time score to 12-0.
Both sides tested each other out in a tense first half of the contest where the game swung either way on an afternoon with perfect conditions for rugby.
After the break, Lightning extended their lead, when they were still down a player, when Hooker Reardon crossed from short-range to extend the Welsh side’s lead and Wilkins added the conversion.
Glasgow replied when giant second row Sophie Anderson carried over impressively from short-range after a period of sustained pressure to claw her side back to 19-5.
Whilst Glasgow’s scrum and line out dominance tested the Welsh side, Lightning went on to score five more tries in the second half.
Until the last minute, the Warriors’ fought with everything they had. Set-piece excellence and coherent team perseverance sets the Warriors in an excellent position to build upon for next season.
