'We addressed the mood': Scottish rugby enters unchartered URC waters

Prendergast’s development of a running game and improved defensive game showed a very well spent off season. Leinster were lethal early against Glasgow but fell into the clunky fare we saw last year for most of the second half. First match of the season for most of the players so understandable. The maul defense was good so some work was done there with Clermont in the ERC next week.

Munster will rue losing a 21 point lead to Ulster where any second half score will suffice. Ulster started slowly but Ravenhill scores seem to all come at the same end this season.

Glasgow v Connacht:

Connect dominated open field play, pinning and sacking the vaunted Glasgow Attack while making solid progress up the field against the Glasgow defence. Stafford McDowell a big loss for Glasgow when not playing. Glasgow had some dominance in scrums but the scoreline was bizarre.

Mauls: Across the board with the new maul laws the refs need to police the offensive maul accurately. Once the ball was thrown in the lineout Glasgow players left the lineout. Illegal, and also makes it more imperative for the defending team to hit the line out early. If the attacking team then holds the jumper a little longer, the maul becomes a penalty machine when not a try machine. 

Even ignoring this law Glasgow scored one maul try after being stopped twice (and called stopped twice by the ref). He then allowed them to gain momentum again from 5m out and score. The third first half try was clear banking by two lifters in the lineout stopping Connacht getting at the ball try. Connacht asked and ref said no and no TMO intervention.

After a restart (at 7:7) Connacht sacked and jackled a player to get  apen 5m out. Lineswoman Holly Davidson intervened to say there was a no arms tackle by Connacht. There wasn’t any tackle, the Connacht player pulled out. Again no TMO in fact there was no interaction at all in that half either way between ref/TMO.

Second half Jansen strips the ball off a Glasgow player while both upright. They go to ground with Jansen in possession. Ref calls penalty “you can’t rip the ball off the player on the ground”. Jansen was incredulous, no TMO, no sign of a TMO.

Connacht are on scrum advantage. They gain 25m. Advantage is surely long over. Connacht linebreak the Connacht player gets a clothesline tackle and the ref brings it back for the scrum! No TMO, no sign of TMO! Connacht player is hit high head to face by Tuipolotu. Staggering, almost knocked out. Serious HIA.  Play on! No pen. No TMO, no sign of a TMO.

Connacht fight back to within a score. An incident happens with a potential head contact.

Now the ref calls on the TMO. TMO is Welsh but this (after 65 mins) is the first time he has been mentioned or referenced. TMO says no head contact ot glancing at best and a rugby incident. Ref says, yes but “no arms tackle” (for the rugby incident). Yellow card! Glasgow score try.

Connacht fight back yet again try with 14. After several penalties on the Glasgow line, the ref finally yellows Glasgow. Connacht score. Within two scores but running out of time(7 mins remain) but playing 14. A try will get them two bonus points. Connacht in Glasgow 22, and while in possession are pinged for Aki shouting for an off-side. He was warned but surely after the farce that preceded you do not ping Connacht there.

This a multimillion € league and sport. Matches have two home linespeople. The Ref and TMO are supposed to be impartial. This is especially important with refs from a British team reffing another British team who are playing at home. It also appeared to me that the TMO was a late show and only arrived after the 60th minute. Lancaster was calm after, but I am sure there will a serious complaint made.

It also might put the “impregnable” Scotstoun myth in perspective. Out of the three matches with fully impartial officiating teams last year, Glasgow win one knock out and lost two others. There is no implication Connacht would have won if it was just standard home town advantage. But this makes a farce of the URC and makes Scottish rugby look parochial.