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Huw Jones injury mars Glasgow win over Connacht
By PA
Glasgow Warriors were pushed to the wire by Connacht before claiming a 29-27 win at their Scotstoun fortress which sets them up nicely for the crunch part of their season.
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The double-chasing Warriors, who are now unbeaten in 17 successive home matches, will hope to carry their momentum into next week’s Challenge Cup semi-final away to Scarlets and then their home United Rugby Championship play-off quarter-final against Munster.
Glasgow were already of fourth place in the URC and started the match like they did not have a care in the world.
They fired through several slick phases straight from kick-off, with Huw Jones and Stafford McDowall making good headway with powerful midfield bursts.
Then Rory Darge appeared on the scene to send Jones over for the game’s opening try with neat back-handed offload.
Connacht – who needed a win to claim a place in the Champions Cup next season – bounced back immediately by forcing Jones to carry the ball back over his own line, and then pressurising the home scrum into conceding a penalty try.
Warriors’ scrum continued to struggle, but their play around the park was razor sharp, and they raced back into the lead in the 18th minute when Tom Jordan juggled the ball before streaking under the posts.
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The home side lost Scott Cummings to the sin-bin for an obstruction on Caolin Blade and Jack Carty kicked the three easy points for the visitors.
Connacht worked hard to take advantage of the extra man and were rewarded with the lead when number eight Cian Prendergast burrowed over from a tap penalty, with Carty adding the extras.
Warriors did not panic however, and they struck back before Cummings had returned to the fray with Ali Price finishing off on the left after some sharp link play.
Cole Forbes thought he had scored try number three for Glasgow – who led 19-17 at the break – after Jordan and Jones capitalised on turnover ball, but the latter had knocked-on whilst being tackled and so it was chalked off.
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There was no more scoring until the hour mark, when replacement Glasgow hooker Johnny Matthews went over at the back of a line-out maul and George Horne added the touchline conversion to make 26-17.
Connacht would not lie down though, and after Horne and Carty had exchanged penalties, a Shamus Hurley-Langton try converted by Carty made for a tense final five minutes – but Warriors held on.
