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Stuart Hogg 'wins' crossbar challenge on his dramatic return to Scotstoun
By Online Editors
Stuart Hogg was the winner on Saturday of a rugby challenge he would prefer not to have won. Hitting the crossbar with a kick has become a regular staple of the rugby matchday entertainment in some parts of Europe, fans usually queuing up to win a prize if they manage to get the ball to collide with the crossbar.
However, hitting the woodwork was the last thing the Exeter Chiefs full-back would have wanted on his return to Scotstoun eight months after he last featured at the ground in the colours of the host club, Glasgow Warriors.
An epic round five European encounter brimming with eight tries - enough to give each team a try bonus point - and 62 points was deadlocked at 31-points all when the Scottish international lined up a monster kick from inside the Exeter half.
The Gallagher Premiership leaders needed only a point to secure top spot in Pool Two, a status that was secured with their try bonus point.
However, they would have departed Glasgow with a last-gasp victory had Hogg’s booming attempt off the tee not collided back into play off the crossbar.
That gave the Warriors one last chance to counter-attack in the hope of scoring the winning points themselves, but they ran into touch to bring the curtain down on a terrific encounter packed with entertainment.
While pool winners Exeter will now host La Rochelle at Sandy Park next weekend as they seek to nail down a home quarter-final, Glasgow have been left stuck on twelve points and have slim hopes of reaching the last eight as one of the three best runners-up.
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Latest Comments
The England backs can't be that dumb, he has been playing on and off for the last couple of years. If they are too slow to keep up with him that's another matter.
He was the only thing stopping England from getting their arses handed to them in the Aussie game. If you can't fit a player with that skill set into an England team then they are stuffed.
Go to commentsSteve Borthwick appointment was misguided based on two flawed premises.
1. An overblown sense of the quality of the premiership rugby. The gap between the Premiership and Test rugby is enormous
2. England needed an English coach who understood English Rugby and it's traditional strengths.
SB won the premiership and was an England forward and did a great job with the Japanese forwards but neither of those qualify you as a tier 1 test manager.
Maybe Felix Jones and Aled Walter's departures are down to the fact that SB is a details man, which work at club level but at test level you need the manager to manage and let the coaches get on and do what they are employed for.
SB criticism of players is straight out of Eddie Jones playbook but his loyalty to keeping out of form players borne out of his perceived sense of betrayal as a player.
In all it doesn't stack up as the qualities needed to be a modern Test coach /Manager
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