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April 19, 2008

Glasgow Warriors 25 - 23 Llanelli Scarlets

Celtic League match played at Firhill on Friday April 18th 2008 | 3 comments

Colin Gregor's try got Glasgow back in the match
Glasgow Warriors snuffed out Llanelli Scarlets with a stunning comeback at Firhill.

Glasgow seemed to have blown their chances of racking up their third triumph on the trot when they leaked two tries just after the break.

But late efforts by Colin Gregor and Sam Pinder completed the salvage job that thrilled the home fans.

And the biggest cheer of all rang out when skipper Dan Parks joyfully thumped over the clinching conversion.

Glasgow had made a bright start, forcing the Scarlets back into their danger zone.

But the nerves of Parks shone through when he missed a simple penalty chance following an illegal challenge on Gregor.

Scarlets had a quick chance to make the most of the reprieve, but Stephen Jones suffered the same fate as Parks with his first attempt at goal.

The veteran Wales and Lions scrum-half made instant amends by finding his range to put the visitors in front after Glasgow crept offside in defence.

Warriors responded positively to set up a series of attacks and Parks burst back into the limelight in spectacular fashion.

He combined cleverly with Graeme Morrison before ploughing over the line for an opportunist try.

And he followed up with the pinpoint conversion to give the Warriors some real impetus.

They kept up the pressure and a surge featuring back-row pair Johnnie Beattie and Kelly Brown paved the way for Parks to bang over an angled penalty and stretch the lead.

Llanelli narrowed the gap with another Jones strike when John Barclay was ruled offside in the aftermath of a ruck.

And the penalty duel continued as Parks was bang on target again seconds before the break following hands in the ruck by the Welshmen.

There was still time for controversy as home winger Thom Evans was crudely body-checked as he chased his own chip.

To the disgust of the fans, English referee Dave Wilkinson waved play-on and the chance was lost.

There was another blow for Glasgow immediately after the restart as Morgan Stoddart snapped up a try - capitalising on weak fringe marking.

And Jones stepped up to add the extras, setting up a tense second half.

Even worse was to come for the Warriors when the clinical Stoddart completed his quickfire double - with Jones making it a seven-pointer at a crucial stage.

Jones then fired over a penalty to create a gap of 10 points, leaving the Warriors with a mountain to climb.

Gregor eased their plight with a sniping try, but Parks miscued the conversion.

However, he made ample amends by goaling Pinder's last-gasp effort.

Referee D Wilkinson (Ireland)
Attendance 2,012
Man of the Match Colin Gregor
Team
1
Justin Va'a
2
Fergus Thomson
3
Moray Low
4
Opeta Palepoi
5
Dan Turner
6
Kelly Brown
7
John Barclay
8
John Beattie
9
Colin Gregor
10
Dan Parks
11
Thom Evans
12
Daryl Gibson
13
Graeme Morrison
14
Max Evans
15
Bernardo Stortoni
Sub
Dougie Hall
Sub
Kevin Tkachuk
Sub
Andy Newman
Sub
James Eddie
Sub
Sam Pinder
Sub
Andrew Henderson
Sub
Lome Fa'atau
Match Substitutions
Off On
Fergus Thomson Dougie Hall
Off On
Daryl Gibson Andrew Henderson
Off On
Bernardo Stortoni Sam Pinder
Off On
John Beattie James Eddie
Off On
Justin Va'a Kevin Tkachuk
Scorers
Dan Parks Try 
Dan Parks Conversion
Dan Parks Penalty
Dan Parks Penalty
Colin Gregor Try 
Sam Pinder Try 
Dan Parks Conversion
Gallery
    Audio
    Press play to listen to Sean Lineen talking to Radio Scotland about Glasgow's win over Llanelli or open the player in a new window (requires Adobe Flash.)
    Comments
    Posted by disco on April 19, 2008 02:14 AM | Reply to this comment

    Stroke of genius to move Budgie to 15 rather than go for the straight swap when Sam Pinder came on...well played coach!

    Posted by hannah on April 19, 2008 12:05 PM | Reply to this comment

    colin was brill last night, his best performance of the season! well done to all of them, it been a good year!

    Posted by bossco85 on April 19, 2008 12:10 PM | Reply to this comment

    I thought we played really well first half then took a bit of time to kick on in the second. Very good performance from OP and Turner in the second row, and the back row as always where on song. Gregor is a far better 9 than he is 10, may be worth him being used as a back up to Pinder next year?
    Was good to see the backs move the ball around and run at the scarlets! A great end to the season and really looking forward to next. Any thoughts on player of the season? Dan Parks has got to be in with a shout along with Barclay? Thoughts please!

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