Glasgow 24 Connacht 3:SEASONAL AMBITIONS fulfilled. Connacht signed off with a best place finish in this season's RaboDirect Pro12 League; Glasgow secured fourth place to set up a semi-final clash with Leinster at the RDS.
Connacht’s Eric Elwood had little reason to be happy with this “Farewell Firhill” performance on Saturday evening, but in finishing in eighth place, ahead of the Dragons, Treviso, Edinburgh and Aironi, it was the second year in succession Connacht had improved their league standing.
“Disappointed to finish with a poor performance,” says Elwood, “but, as I said to the boys, they must be congratulated for their entire season’s work which achieved eighth place. We had 15 new players this season, a new coach in Billy Millard, key injuries at critical times, and a tough Heineken Cup campaign, so to finish where we have, is a huge credit to them. Our result was not based on this final game, but on a season’s work.
“It has been a good season for us and we are delighted other results went our way. We have finished eighth which is a high.”
Unbeaten against Glasgow in their last four outings, Connacht were on the back foot for long periods against an emotionally charged Warriors in their last game at the Partick Thistle ground before moving to Scotstown.
With a 11-3 half-time lead, the home side’s trademark defence – the best in the league – denied Connacht from capitalising on any first-half possession, and in the second they grabbed territorial control with a superior kicking game.
In disrupting Connacht’s primary possession up front, they finished with a second try to sign off in front of 5,374 fans .
On a night of standing ovations for Warriors players and staff, departing coach Seán Lineen, says he is now planning for another major assault – on Leinster next Saturday.
“Tonight was a humbling experience, not just for me, but for everyone. It was a fantastic crowd, and although it was not a great game of rugby, it’s all about managing expectations – the players getting used to mentally being able to handle the being favourites.”
It is not a tag they need worry about next Saturday, but Lineen insists the Warriors are treating the RDS clash as a “cup final”.
“We have played against Leinster and we have beaten them, but they are the yardstick in Europe at the moment. “It will be incredibly tough, they have a fantastic squad and have rested played this week, so we need to make sure we keep our players fresh and go over there and give it everything.”
GLASGOW WARRIORS: S Hogg; F Aramburu, A Dunbar, G Morrison, DTH van der Merwe; D Weir, H Pyrgos; J Welsh, D Hall, M Low, T Ryder, R Gray, R Harley, C Fusaro, J Barclay. Replacements: P MacArthur for Hall (51 mins), R Grant for Welsh (51 mins), A Kellock for Gray (60 mins), C Cusiter for Pyrgos C Jackson for Weir and C Shaw for Van der Merwe and M Cusack for Low (all 61 mins), C Forrester for Fusaro (69 mins).
CONNACHT: G Duffy; K Tonetti, E Griffin, H Fa’afili, T O’Halloran; M Nikora, F Murphy; D Buckley, A Flavin, R Loughney, M Swift, M McCarthy, J Muldoon, J O’Connor, G Naoupu. Replacements: R Ah You for Buckley (51 mins), R Ofisa for O’Connor (54 mins), M Jarvis for Nikora (56 mins), J Loxton for O’Halloran (56 mins), P Donohoe for Murphy (63), S Maguire for Loughney (65), M Kearney for Swift (65 mins), D Murphy for Flavin (72).
Referee: P Fitzgibbon (Ireland).
