Celtic League/ Connacht 23 Glasgow 40: There was no final Sportsground fling for Connacht. That performance was produced by the Scotttish vistors, who ran in four tries and bagged the bonus point to maintain their recent momentum as the Magners Celtic League nears its end.
The Warriors were fully deserving of their 23-8 half-time lead, having played Connacht off the park in the opening 40 minutes. And though Connacht did up the tempo in the second half, scored three tries, and came within seven points early on, the Warriors' physicality proved too much for a team in their last home match of the season.
For a second successive week Connacht faltered early, conceding a second-minute try to flanker John Barclay, set up by hooker Fergus Thomson and number eight John Beattie.
Outhalf Paul Warwick produced some individual magic to open the home side's account, breaking from his own 22 before chipping and hacking ahead, outpacing Graeme Beveridge in the chase.
In an expansive game both sides committed unforced errors, but Connacht struggled against an aggressive Scottish pack, and a succession of penalties and a drop-goal from Dan Parks, who produced a near-perfect kicking record, kept the Scots in front.
The Warriors also had the pace in their backs and made some fine, angled runs - two of which produced tries. Right wing Rory Lamont took Beveridge's pass at pace to score a second try under the posts before the break, and the killer blow came from replacement winger Hefin O'Hare on 54 minutes.
In between Connacht did make a fight of it, adding two penalties either side of the break and scoring a second try on 45 minutes after Duffy capitalised on some poor Glasgow handling from Warwick's grubber.
But Connacht's fitful mood proved costly. Although they were awarded a penalty try late in the game after the Warriors repeatedly collapsed the maul, Glasgow had by then bagged their bonus point after replacement prop Kevin Tkachuck broke on the blind side from a maul.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 2 mins: Barclay try, Parks con 0-7; 6: Warwick try 5-7; 16: Parks pen 5-10; 22: Parks pen 5-13; 27: Parks drop-goal 5-16; 33: Lamont try, Parks con 5-23; 38: Warwick pen 8-23 (half-time 8-23); 42: Warwick pen 11-23; 45: Duffy try 16-23; 54: O'Hare try, Parks con 16-30; 70: Tkachuck try, Parks con 16-37; 74: Connacht pen try, Warwick con 23-37. 78: Parks pen 23-40.
CONNACHT: D Riordan; D Yapp, G Duffy, J Hearty, C McPhillips; P Warwick, C Keane; B Wilkinson, A Flavin, R Hogan; M Swift, A Farley (capt); J Muldoon, R Ofisa, C Rigney. Replacements: M Lacey for Ofisa (32 minutes), B Sturgess for Wilkinson (half-time), J Fogarty for Flavin (52 minutes), D Slemen for Keane, A Wynne for Hearty (both 57 minutes).
GLASGOW WARRIORS: F Leonelli; R Lamont, G Morrison, S Barrow, T Evans; D Parks, G Beveridge; J Va'a, F Thomson, M Low; A Newman, A Kellock (capt); S Swindall, J Barclay, J Beattie. Replacements: H O'Hare for Leonelli (half-time), S Lawson for Thomson (58 mins), K Tkachuck for Low (65 mins).
Referee: Neil Ballard(WRU).
• In the English Premiership last night Sale beat Bath 25-23 at Edgeley Park with Jason Robinson bringing down the curtain on his club career with a fairytale last-minute try to win the game. At Kingston Park, Newcastle Falcons beat Gloucester 19-12 but Jonny Wilkinson and Mike Tindall could miss England's tour to South Africa after picking up injuries. Tindall was carried off on a stretcher with a leg injury.
