Five try Glasgow storm RDS and steal overall top spot in PRO14
Glasgow Warriors reclaimed top spot in Conference A of the Guinness PRO14 with a fantastic five-try 39-24 win over fellow table toppers Leinster at the RDS.
Replacement George Horne’s 80th-minute intercept try put the seal on Glasgow’s first victory at the Dublin venue since September 2011, as they edged back ahead of Munster at the Conference’s summit in the battle for a home semi-final.
They have a three-point lead heading into their home derby against Edinburgh in the final round in two weeks’ time.
The Kearney brothers, Dave and Rob, scored two tries each for Leinster, who are already confirmed as Conference B winners.
Captained by Sean O’Brien ahead of his summer move to London Irish, the hosts trailed 18-12 at half-time with Sam Johnson and Tommy Seymour swapping tries with the Kearneys and Adam Hastings kicking eight points.
Robbie Henshaw got 58 minutes under his belt and fellow returnee Devin Toner played the full game ahead of Leinster’s Champions Cup quarter-final against Toulouse next week.
They looked set for a hard-fought win when the Kearneys struck again in the third quarter, but Glasgow displayed their own brotherly love with Matt and Zander Fagerson both touching down before Horne had the final say in Leinster’s first home defeat in any tournament since Benetton Rugby won here last April.
Despite losing fly-half Ross Byrne to the sin-bin for an early tackle on Seymour as the winger dribbled through into the Leinster 22, it was 14-man Leinster who landed the opening try.
Replying to Hasting’s fourth-minute penalty, Jamison Gibson-Park’s looping pass was gathered by Dave Kearney who jinked inside Stuart Hogg to register a five-pointer from close range.
The visitors edged ahead at 6-5 thanks to a straightforward Hastings penalty, and they followed up with a classic breakaway try. Ali Price slipped clean through from a ruck and passed out the back door for the supporting Johnson to sprint the final 40 metres to the line, bouncing off Byrne’s last-ditch tackle to finish emphatically.
The elder Kearney, Rob, hit back five minutes before the interval, Toner and the home pack wearing down the Warriors through 30-plus phases before the full-back initially fumbled a Byrne pass over Niko Matawalu’s head but successfully reclaimed it to score his first Leinster try since scoring against the same opposition in September 2016.
Byrne’s conversion made it a one-point game at 13-12, only for Dave Rennie’s side to score right on half-time when Seymour went over in the right corner from a cracking lofted pass by stand-off Hastings.
Boosted by the introduction of an all-international front row from the bench, Leinster went back in front when half-backs Gibson-Park and Byrne passed to the blindside of a ruck for Rob Kearney to reach over in the 51st minute.
The margin was out to six points after Jordan Larmour’s jinking run caused problems for the Scots’ defence, Rob Kearney provided the link and his younger brother shrugged off Matawalu’s challenge to complete his own brace on the hour mark.
However, Glasgow were only 24-18 in arrears and soon showed exactly why they are the Championship’s form team with 34 points out of a possible 35 won in the last seven rounds.
Hastings’ conversion reclaimed the lead following number eight Matt Fagerson’s try from a well-executed 64th-minute lineout maul, and his tighthead-playing sibling drove in low to join him on the scoresheet after a series of pick-and-goes with eight minutes remaining.
The bonus point score was converted by Hastings who finished with 14 points following Horne’s interception of a Hugh O’Sullivan pass.
Comments on RugbyPass
Oh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on the @r$e$ one week later?
26 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
2 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
2 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
7 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
26 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
26 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to comments