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September 24, 2005

Glasgow Warriors 23 - 28 Cardiff Blues

Celtic League match played at Hughenden on Saturday September 24th 2005 | 10 comments

Rory was one of Glasgow's try scorers
A week is a long time in politics. Or so it is said because so much can change in seven days. So it is, too, in rugby. At least it has been for Glasgow.

Last week the defensive game was solid, the ball-in-hand game was confident. This evening the midfield was porous, the handling play was less than secure. Those were the essential differences between victory against Munster and Celtic League defeat by Cardiff.

Yet Glasgow started well with 10 points in 16 minutes. John Barclay, the birthday boy 19 today, sparked it off with a run from an interception to set up position for a Dan Parks penalty goal, and another thrust by the youngster prompted a Sam Pinder break to the left inside the Cardiff twenty-two. The scrum half’s switch pass sent Calvin Howarth through for a try that Parks converted.

But two minutes later Nicky Robinson sliced through too easily from the Glasgow 10-metre line to run on for a try at the posts, and seven minutes later Robin Sowden-Taylor followed the stand-off’s cutting example for a long run into the twenty-two. Though the flanker was denied, Cardiff worked the ball right for Craig Morgan to score. Nick Robinson converted both tries, the second from well out on the right.

Sowden-Taylor thrust had originated off a blatantly forward pass by Ryan Powell. If that was bad luck for Glasgow it was offset by good fortune when Robinson missed three penalties and a drop kick at goal in the 10 minutes spanning the interval. In that same phase, two minutes into first-half added time, Parks also failed with a penalty attempt.

Cardiff led 14-10 at half-time, and six minutes into the second half they went further ahead when Lee Thomas made the first of Maama Molitika’s two tries. Nicky Robinson converted from in front of the posts, but Glasgow’s response was immediate. Howarth’s thrust on the right set up position for swiftly rucked ball and a speedy switch to the left for Mike Roberts to run in his third try in four league games for Glasgow. The Cardiff lead was down to six points, but the Parks conversion attempt rebounded off a post.

Thomas was wide with a penalty kick from five metres inside his own half. It was an attempt to push Glasgow away from a bonus point, and Molitika achieved that with his second try, penalising Glasgow for failing in ball-retention as they tried to work the ball away from their own twenty-two.

Thomas added the conversion, and Cardiff were up to 28-15 in 56 minutes. But were back in the hunt when Rory Lamont went over 10 minutes later as Glasgow spread the ball wide to the right. Parks missed the conversion from tight on the touchline, and Glasgow, down 20-28, were still not close enough for a bonus point.

Howarth struck a post with a penalty attempt from 43 metres to cut the margin, and it was agonising close to the end, two minutes into added time, before he salvaged that fallback objective from shorter range.

Referee Donal Courtney (Ireland)
Attendance 1404
Man of the Match Scott Lawson managed to have a good game while some of his team-mates struggled
Team
1
Kevin Tkachuk
2
Scott Lawson
3
Lee Harrison
4
Tim Barker
5
Craig Hamilton
6
Steve Swindall
7
John Barclay
8
Paul Dearlove
9
Sam Pinder
10
Dan Parks
11
Mike Roberts
12
Scott Barrow
13
Andy Craig
14
Rory Lamont
15
Calvin Howarth
Sub
Fergus Thomson
Sub
Stuart Corsar
Sub
Dan Turner
Sub
Gregor Hayter
Sub
Graeme Beveridge
Sub
Hefin O'Hare
Sub
Graeme Morrison
Match Substitutions
Off On
Craig Hamilton Dan Turner
Off On
Paul Dearlove Gregor Hayter
Off On
Andy Craig Graeme Morrison
Off On
Sam Pinder Graeme Beveridge
Off On
Scott Lawson Fergus Thomson
Off On
Mike Roberts Hefin O'Hare
Scorers
7 minsDan Parks Penalty
16 minsCalvin Howarth Try 
16 minsDan Parks Conversion
48 minsMike Roberts Try 
66 minsRory Lamont Try 
82 minsCalvin Howarth Penalty
Comments
Posted by Ashleigh on September 25, 2005 10:05 AM | Reply to this comment

First of all, well done Glasgow for the three tries you managed to score! I have to say, the defence last night was definitely lacking, and was it only me who thought that Rory Lamont didn't seem into the game? For periods of time, he was just standing and watching what was going on when Glasgow obviously needed his help, and looked as though he didn't know where he was.

I don't know what was wrong with the boys last night, but it definitely seemed as though their hearts really weren't in it. They started off great, with a brilliant try for Hobbsy, but after that it was like they had just given up. Parksey also wasn't having a good night. In training, his kicks were spot on and then after the first conversion he just seemed to lose the momentum.

Where was the fighting spirit we saw last week ...? Lets hope you can find it in time for the Edinburgh Gunners game!

Posted by Ashleigh on September 25, 2005 07:02 PM | Reply to this comment

Oh yeah, forgot to mention... did anyone think that the Cardiff Blues all had a team outing to the tanning beds before they came up to Scotland...?

Posted by ballinj on September 25, 2005 02:32 PM | Reply to this comment

Glasgow were as unconvincing last week as they were exceptional the week before. Against Munster they did the basics well last night it was running before being able to crawl.

As I explained to Todd Blackadder and Frank Hadden last night it was purely for their benefit and we were just trying to lure them into a false sense of security - god I hope I am right or next weekend is not going to be funny.

Posted by sunday5 on September 25, 2005 03:08 PM | Reply to this comment

While agreeing with the congratulatory aspects of the above I can't help but feel that some of us are being a little harsh on Rory Lamont. I thought his game was superb last night. Yes, he did stand around a little but hey, he's a mincing back. That's what backs do.

When Rory got the ball, however, he proved that he was anything but a tennis skirt-wearing pretty boy. Some of his hand offs were nothing short of spectacular and the big shoulder he floored our livestock-worrying cousin with in the last ten minutes was somthing Jason White would have been justifiably proud of. So good, in fact, was his performance that the crowd in my vicinity certainly were commenting that we had the best Lamont of the pair. A bold statement, true but certainly a reasonable one. If we see Mr Danielli starting in the Six Nations, I for one will be very disapointed, and we haven't even started on the boy's prolific kicking while under pressure.

That said, the midfield defence was truly derisable. It was non-existant. We can surely chalk up two tries to the substandard defence in the Warriors mid-field. The game was for the taking, and our centres have some answering to do.

Oh, and still no beer tent, and still no cheerleaders. Can anyone give me a genuine answer as to why we must climb to the clubhouse and fight at the bar instead of strolling into the comforts of the big, white canvas pub?

R.J. Bulloch

Posted by bossco88 on September 25, 2005 10:57 PM | Reply to this comment

Glasgow were beyond rubbish on Saturday past... although it was mainly the forwards fault. If your backrow can't tackle, there is no hope. Rory Lamont had a great game in attack. Sure, he didn't go looking for it but who did?

Scott Barrow and Andy Craig both had good games at centre, while the half backs performed well from the crap that the forwards were giving them. Parks was poor off the tee, but out of hand he was not his best but definitely not his worst... at least he tried things.

Sammy played well at scrum half behind a woefull back. As for Calvin Howarth, he may as well not get out of bed. Bring back Colin Shaw... we need a full back who can actualy make hits.

The defence must tighten up in the back row especially. Let's hope it's returns against Edinburgh.

Posted by Blaney on September 26, 2005 09:51 AM | Reply to this comment

Are there no pictures from Saturdays game...? If so, why are they not on the site...?

Posted by Gordon on September 26, 2005 10:45 AM | Reply to this comment

I didn't take my camera. Sorry.

Posted by Blaney on September 26, 2005 11:05 AM | Reply to this comment

Ok. Thanks anyways.

Posted by Gordon on September 26, 2005 11:19 AM | Reply to this comment

Incidently, if anyone else has any photos from games, I'd be happy to post them on the site.

Posted by Neil on September 27, 2005 09:39 AM | Reply to this comment

Good teams win games when they don't play well. We missed a few tackles but other than that I thought the team played well.

Don't forget that Parks missed a couple of fairly straight forward kicks (5 points) which all other things being equal would have tied the match.

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