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September 02, 2017

Connacht 12 - 18 Glasgow Warriors

GUINNESS PRO14 match played at Galway Sportsground on Saturday September 2nd 2017 | No comments

Peter Horne set up Glasgow's first try and kicked well in terrible conditions
Glasgow Warriors opened their PRO14 campaign with a hard-fought win over Connacht at a wet and windy Galway Sportsground.

Two well taken second half tries from Ali Price and Lee Jones gave Dave Rennie a winning start to his Glasgow career and ensured he got one over on his former Chiefs assistant Kieran Keane.

Then only downside for Warriors was losing Sam Johnson early on after an HIA and his replacement Adam Hastings who was forced off in the second half with a gash to the knee.

Jack Carty's trio of penalties giving Connacht a 9-3 lead after playing with a first-half wind advantage.

However, Peter Horne landed his second penalty for Glasgow before combining with Adam Hastings to set up Price's try. And Jones' try - in response to another Carty kick - ensured a winning start for the Warriors.

This meeting of the 2016 and 2015 league champions saw former Chiefs coaches Keane and Rennie take charge of their new teams for the first time. With the elements behind them, Connacht took a first-minute lead thanks to Carty's opening penalty goal.

However, Connacht's set-piece game was sloppy, they lost their first lineout and conceded a free-kick and successive penalties at scrum time. The wind thwarted Horne's first attempt off the tee, but barely a minute later he kicked Glasgow level from close range.

Connacht rebounded in impressive fashion and really should have had a try by the end of the first quarter. Debutant flanker Jarrad Butler lunged for the base of the left post but it was ruled inconclusive by TMO Peter Fitzgibbon.

Glasgow absorbed further pressure before a straightforward 19th-minute penalty from Carty restored the hosts' lead. Individual mistakes ruined promising attacks for both sides, as Glasgow were caught for accidental offside and Connacht captain John Muldoon and Ultan Dillane both knocked on in lineouts.

Amid some error-strewn passages, Bundee Aki managed to draw in two defenders and release Cian Kelleher for a kick chase out wide in a rare moment of attacking quality.

Although the wind turned two attempted clearances from scrum-half Price into mauling opportunities for Connacht, Glasgow's well-organised and pacy defence - with man of the match Adam Ashe putting in some big hits -continued to frustrate the hosts until Carty swept over from a late penalty for 9-3 half-time scoreline.

Warriors quickly cancelled out that score when play resumed, Horne punishing Denis Buckley for not retreating the required distance at a quickly-taken penalty. The Glasgow stand-off then conjured up the game's first try, a training ground move off a scrum seeing him open up the Connacht midfield and then link with his half-back partner Price for a classy seven-pointer.

Replacement Tom Farrell's man-and-ball tackle on Ruaridh Jackson sparked some better execution out of Connacht and a crisp penalty strike from Carty on the hour mark made it a one-point game -13-12.

Keane's charges edged up the pitch thanks to a series of penalties, with the energetic Sean O'Brien making his presence felt off the bench. Frustratingly, their hard work was undone by some lacklustre lineout work and knock-ons from Darragh Leader and Matt Healy.

Glasgow were coping much better with the slippery ball - and they were at their clinical best when Price's cross-field kick was collected by Italian replacement Leonardo Sarto who evaded Leader and passed out of a tackle for the onrushing Jones to score in the left corner.

Horne missed the difficult conversion, but it was not needed as Connacht, with their error count increasing, failed to respond.

Referee Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Attendance 4,017
Man of the Match Adam Ashe
Team
1
Jamie Bhatti
2
George Turner
3
Zander Fagerson
4
Tim Swinson
5
Scott Cummings
6
Ryan Wilson
7
Matt Smith
8
Adam Ashe
9
Ali Price
10
Peter Horne
11
Lee Jones
12
Sam Johnson
13
Alex Dunbar
14
Lelia Masaga
15
Ruaridh Jackson
Sub
James Malcolm
Sub
Oli Kebble
Sub
Adam Nicol
Sub
Greg Peterson
Sub
Matt Fagerson
Sub
Henry Pyrgos
Sub
Adam Hastings
Sub
Leonardo Sarto
Scorers
Peter Horne Penalty
Peter Horne Penalty
Ali Price Try 
Peter Horne Conversion
Lee Jones Try