Connacht v Glasgow Warriors, 25 April

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Connacht Rugby v Glasgow Warriors
Saturday 25 April
KO: 13:05
The Sportsground, Galway

Live on TG4/BBC ALBA

Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR, 40th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Andy Brace, Oisin Quinn (both IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Dennis Templeton (IRFU)
TMO: Dermot Moloney (IRFU)

A. Head to Head

25 Played 25
7 Wins 15
15 Losses 7
3 Draws 3
44 Tries 62
32 Conversions 43
50 Penalties 54
5 Drop Goals 2
449 Points 564
24 Avg. Age 26

B. Form

Fri 26 Sep 2014 - Glasgow Warriors 39 - 21 Connacht Rugby

Sun 9 Feb 2014 - Glasgow Warriors 8 - 6 Connacht Rugby

Sat 2 Nov 2013 - Connacht Rugby 12 - 19 Glasgow Warriors

C. Teams

Connacht Rugby

[tbc]

Glasgow Warriors

15. Stuart Hogg
14. Tommy Seymour
13. Richie Vernon
12. Peter Horne
11. Niko Matawalu
10. Finn Russell
9. Henry Pyrgos
 
1. Jerry Yanuyanutawa
2. Fraser Brown
3. Euan Murray   
4. Leone Nakarawa
5. Jonny Gray (Captain)
6. Rob Harley
7. Chris Fusaro
8. Adam Ashe
 
16. Kevin Bryce
17. Ryan Grant  
18. Jon Welsh
19. Tim Swinson
20. Josh Strauss
21. Duncan Weir
22. Peter Murchie
23. Lee Jones

Interesting that Ashe has started over Strauss the last few games - has Strauss fallen down the pecking order??

Great to see Hogg is back - his interview earlier in the week didn't sound overly optimistic, so hope he's not been rushed.

That backline will probably be the one chosen for the big games.

In fact, swap Grant in for Jerry and that is probably the first XV just now.

I think Ashe started against the Blues but JS had played the 5 previous games. Ashe played well last week and GT is probably aware that we'll need Strauss firing in the next month or two.

I didn't expect Hogg to play either. He must be fine as I don't think we need to rush him back. Of our better players, he is the one I would be most relaxed about missing given how well Murchie has played in the last year or so.

All in, I'm fairly confident in the win but a bonus will be difficult. If we turn it on here and get 5pts, the confidence should be pretty high for going down to the Ospreys.

A strong starting side. I make it twelve Scottish internationals and three Fijian journeymen.
Jerry Y and Fraser Brown are probably the form front rows at the moment. Jonny and Naka are our best second row. The captain has passed the armband over to his successor and the world hasn't stopped turning.
The Tombola has decreed a 5-3 split so allowing for Murchie and the Selkirk Pixie replacing Hogg and Seymour then two of Dancer, Hornee Furra and Richie V will have to play 80 minutes.

5 points here and I may have to start looking at travel options for the Osprey's match.

Connacht team: Tiernan O'Halloran, Danie Poolman, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, Matt Healy, Jack Carty, Kieran Marmion, Denis Buckley, Tom McCartney, Rodney Ah You, Ultan Dillane, Aly Muldowney, John Muldoon - capt, Eoghan Masterson, Eoin McKeon.

Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Ronan Loughney, Finlay Bealham, Andrew Browne, George Naoupu, John Cooney, Miah Nikora, Darragh Leader.

What a day for young Dillane - dropped straight into a starting berth.

Key danger without doubt is the Aki/Henshaw midfield - hopefully a relatively lightweight Hornee Furra won't become a red stain with some teeth visible on the Galway grass.

Is Tiernan O'Halloran the most Irish name ever?

How has Bundee Aki been for Connacht this season?

Weegie Wizard wrote:Is Tiernan O'Halloran the most Irish name ever?

Surely Paddy McGuiness wins the prize for the most stereotypical Irish name ever??

I remember an English commentator claiming Dougie Fife was the most Scottish name you could get - not sure about that one. Alky McJakeybaws (the famous Glaswegian) is surely a better one!

Or that well known Edinburgh Scot, Sir John Smyth McBumfertie.

Nematode wrote:How has Bundee Aki been for Connacht this season?

Very good, unfortunately. This is the kind of game I would have liked Dunbar and Bennett for.

I have an uncle called Coinneach Macleod which is pretty good.

Weegie Wizard wrote:Team is up -

Jerry, Brown, Murray
Gray (c), Naka
Harley, Fusaro, Ashe,
Pyros, Russell,
Horne, Vernon,
Niko, Seymour & Hogg

Bench - Kevin Bryce, Grant, Welsh, Swinson, Strauss, Weir, Murchie, Jones.

Decent enough given who we have out. Great to see wee Jonny as captain.

Strong team. Not surprised Ashe is in there ahead of Strauss. Ashe is playing better rugby at the moment and bang on form. Strauss has work to do to get back into that Glasgow team. Luckily for him Harley is still below par.

Come on Glasgow, your capital city needs you!

There's a guy on the site I'm working on called William Wallace - I bet he was a Yes voter!

Not quite on the same theme but a guy I was speaking to today was telling me that his old boss was called Thomas Chan, and is married to a lady called Jackie!

funnyExiledScot wrote:

Strong team. Not surprised Ashe is in there ahead of Strauss. Ashe is playing better rugby at the moment and bang on form. Strauss has work to do to get back into that Glasgow team. Luckily for him Harley is still below par.

Come on Glasgow, your capital city needs you!

I thought Strauss has been immense since the start of the 6N. For quite a few games he was the only one getting over the gain line and he almost single handedly beat the Ospreys pack a few games back.

Or is this the start of the campaign to stop him captaining Scotland in the world cup

I thought Strauss was poor against Leinster (or was it Munster) - the game where he got smashed and played rubbish the rest of the game.

Probably due to the fact he got smashed...

I see Ryan Grant is on the bench. I only noticed because his mum left him some kisses on the team announcement on facebook.

RDW_Scotland wrote:I thought Strauss was poor against Leinster (or was it Munster) - the game where he got smashed and played rubbish the rest of the game.

Probably due to the fact he got smashed...

Agreed, and wasn't that him coming back from an injury??

I don't think he's quite as World Class as the weegies would have us believe, but he'll still get into the World Cup squad in my view. He just needs to get back to his best for the end of season run in.

Probably just the SRU wanting Ashe getting gametime pre-world cup.

Incidentally, 'Life, Style and Sport' are my three specialist subjects on Mastermind.

Glasgow look very rusty!

Subtlety not Euans strong point...

What's happened to Glasgow?

Seriously, they just aren't there at the moment.

Glasgow throwing this away just to urine off Edinburgh?

As expected, scrum struggling, this is a game where Glasgow really needed Cusack, poor selection from Townsend.

VinceWLB wrote:As expected, scrum struggling, this is a game where Glasgow really needed Cusack, poor selection from Townsend.

Cusack injured again!

Thats a good try

What an offload by Fraser Brown!!!

That's more like it!

Glasgow need to pull their fingers out - their 1872 superiors are relying on them!

BigGee wrote:

VinceWLB wrote:As expected, scrum struggling, this is a game where Glasgow really needed Cusack, poor selection from Townsend.

Cusack injured again!

Didn't know that, he is probably still exhausted from his 70 min efforts a month ago!

Bad miss by the Irish kicker

Delayed provision of the ball?? When was the last time anyone saw that pinged?

Glasgow have been embarrassingly bad.

I missed penalty by Carty is followed by another a minute later.

Connacht 6-5 Glasgow

That was a very soft penalty. The ref is not on our side at the moment. Just as well he can't kick

Glasgow need a bollocking at half time - some really stupid penalties being given away

Kick the bloody ball away in your own 22 Glasgow - FFS!

They seem to think they're playing 7s...

Connacht players standing still taking the ball - going nowhere. O'Halloran gets a decent chip kick into touch to gain a few metres. This ref getting cheesed off very easily - yellow card for someone coming up.

Pyrgos is slower than laidlaw today. Jeez man. Pick up the pace

Another cracking try

8-3 on penalties to Glasgow so far.

But Hogg is after some lovely running by Seymour.

Great play from Seymour and Hogg, cut them to pieces. Glasgow in the lead, which they hardly deserve.

They didn't deserve that - connacht should be about 10 poinst ahead.

How on earth have we scored three tries and got a decent lead in this game?

Never mind, we will take it!

How did that happen??

Such  an odd game. Glasgow being dominated but a squirting through when they get the ball to get the scores

And try No 3 from an intercept - 19-6 to Glasgow at HT. Game over for Connacht methinks and their chance for a qualifying spot most likely.

Amazing how quickly things can swing in a match!

Connacht just about pressed the self destruct button!

I feel bad for Connacht fans, hope GT gives Glasgow a stern talking to though.

Btw, anyone listening to this on ALBA experiencing a delay in sound from the ref?