| WARRIORS 34-20 CONNACHT |
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| Friday, 23 October 2009 | |
 Thom Evans celebrates his try double against Connacht Glasgow Warriors rediscovered their winning edge at Firhill tonight as they recorded a four-try bonus point win against Connacht. The result temporarily elevates the Warriors to joint-second place in the Magners League. The Firhill support was also treated to the sight of a try-scoring Max Evans and Richie Gray returning to frontline action. After the game Warriors head coach, Sean Lineen, said: “I’m delighted for the players. They’ve worked really hard all week and they’ve got the result they deserve.” It took Max Evans just two minutes back in a Glasgow jersey to delight the Firhill crowd once again. He made a scintillating break to spark a surge into the Connacht 22. A beautifully weighted pass from stand-off Dan Parks found the centre in space and he sprinted in the final ten yards to the whitewash. Parks converted, 7-0. Glasgow continued to dominate the opening exchanges but, with Parks not finding the target with two previous penalty attempts, they decided to start kicking for the corner. Disappointingly, Connacht pinched a drop-goal with their first foray into the home half but Glasgow continued their menacing play via their outside backs, which almost put Bernardo Stortoni through for a try. However, opting to keep the lead in tact, the Warriors retreated from the danger zone with a simple penalty - this time in front of the posts, 10-3. Connacht stayed in the game with a penalty just before the 20 minute mark to make it 10-6 though – after putting in the hard yards up front after a series of re-set scrums – Johnnie Beattie sprang from the back and pounced over the line. Parks converted, 17-6. The home side then proceeded to work through the phases, Richie Gray and John Barclay bringing their brawn to their frontline. Glasgow stretched their lead further when the ball fell to Scotland scrum-half Chris Cusiter who slipped the ball to Dan Parks who offered a neat inside pop to Thom Evans. Evans burst through with the fingers tips of attempted tackles brushing off his shorts before he touched touch down over the line. Parks added the extras, 24-6. The Warriors continued to make scorching breaks up the flanks, reminding the Firhill fans just what guys like the Evans brothers can do with a bit of space. Connacht, however, sneaked a couple of penalties before the break to give them a much healthier half-time score than many would have given them credit for. Half-time score: Glasgow Warriors 24, Connacht 12 The second period was a fairly quiet affair as Keatley and Parks’ exchange of penalties brought the only points up until the closing ten minutes, 27-15. After 69 minutes the visitors found the try line. Bernardo Stortoni collected a high ball and made for the Connacht 22. However, his eager pass out of the contact was collected by Connacht and winger Fionn Carr eventually took possession and stretched his legs to reach the far try line. As the game entered the final ten minutes, the Warriors crossed for their fourth try, and more crucially the bonus point. Thom Evans pounced on a loose ball to grab his second of the night. Colin Gregor, who had earlier replaced Parks, took over kicking duties and slotted the conversion to the delight of the home support who were on their feet for the victorious hosts. Glasgow Warriors: Bernardo Stortoni; Colin Shaw, Max Evans, Graeme Morrison, Thom Evans; Dan Parks, Chris Cusiter; Jon Welsh, Dougie Hall, Moray Low, Richie Gray, Al Kellock CAPTAIN, Kelly Brown, John Barclay, Johnnie Beattie Connacht: Gavin Duffy; Troy Nathan, Niva Ta'auso, Keith Matthews, Fionn Carr; Ian Keatley, Frank Murphy; Brett Wilkinson, Sean Cronin, Jamie Hagan, Michael Swift, Bernie Upton, Michael McCarthy, Johnny O'Connor, John Muldoon CAPTAIN Referee: Tim Hayes (WRU) |
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