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Sat 22 Oct 2016 | 07:26
Glasgow's coast-to-coast counter that was inches from being an epic try

4
Comments

Glasgow produced one of the greatest performances in their history to stun two-time European Champions Cup champions Leicester last weekend, scoring five tries in a 42-13 victory at Scotstoun. This was one of the moments of the match.

Glasgow scored two intercept tries through Mark Bennett and Leonardo Sarto, but could have scored one of the tries of the year has it not been for some superb Leicester defence.

From a quick tap penalty, the ball was spread through the hands and eventually found Sarto who burst down the touchline, switched back inside and zig-zagged his way across field.

From then on it was a case of simple hands and drawing defenders, with only an amazing piece of defensive work from Matthew Tait and Telusa Veainu stopping Warriors wing Rory Hughes from scoring a spectacular coast-to-coast try.

An eye must also be kept on the supporting line Sarto took, coming off his right wing to be in a position to take the ball if required on the left.

Glasgow got a five metre scrum from this movement but couldn't add another try. It mattered little in the end however as they secured an all-important victory in an ultra-tight pool 1.

Leicester scored the first try in a fractious opening half that saw two yellow cards, one for Ryan Wilson and the other for Matt Toomua, who was lucky not to see red for his tip-tackle on Glasgow out-half Finn Russell.

Both sides scored when down to 14-men but it was Glasgow who were the most clinical, touching down twice in the 10 minutes Wilson spent on the sidelines.

Today's round two action sees Leicester needing to bounce back against Racing 92 at Welford Road, while Glasgow travel to Thomond Park hoping to make it two from two versus Munster.

View Glasgow's near try below, plus full match highlights on page 2

Posted By: Stephen Brunsdon

4 Comments

  • weejockmcplop
    4:05 PM 01/11/2016

    This was a great moved great handling, but give credit where it's due, this was great defence by the Tigers to get back and prevent the try being scored.

  • larry
    4:17 PM 27/10/2016

    Ironic you mention league, because I don't like that version of the sport, and it is because there isn't enough passing of the ball, and ball carriers tend to just take a tackle, and then the ensuing version of their ruck. That's my point: too many union players are taking tackles when they could be passing off the ball instead. There are too many rucks in so many games because the ball dies way too often when it doesn't have to happen. It should be kept alive, and if it were, even in bad weather, I believe the game would be more entertaining. Mistakes will be made, balls will be dropped, the other side will then be given their opportunities. Right now I just see the sport as having devolved into something akin to "guaranteed possession" with how rucks, and mauls for that matter, are now refereed and played, because of certain law changes. Why so much "safety first" type play? I hear it on the pitch as a referee: someone is about to be tackled, and someone on the side yells out 'go to ground.' Meanwhile that same player could have been yelling 'with you' instead!
    I might remind you of some Scottish club match featured here on this site where in the space of some ten minutes there were so many recycled rucks, something like twenty or more in a row, and that number might be on the low side! Then there was some other high level club match in which a team tried to run out the clock by having those recycled rucks at the end of a match, and surprise, surprise, a counter ruck spoiled the plan and the ball was won back by the other team. Those might be extreme examples, but again, how often, and I know you've seen it, would that player early in the move on the video, behind his own 22, would have gone to ground with the ensuing kick to touch? Instead the ball was kept alive and a try almost scored at the other end. I'm not saying it should be done all the time, but certainly "as well."

  • drg
    10:38 AM 23/10/2016

    Umm, rucks have their place, as a forward I'll joke that it's the only time I feel useful, but jokes aside, they allow for moves to be set up and worked, out of position players to relocate and they can also create a blind wall for the scrum half to work behind.

    There is a sport similar to what you described and it's called right league, no boring rucks at all....

    You also have to consider that the weather is not always suitable for this sort of fast paced game.

    It was a fantastic piece of play, really beautiful stuff, but let's not view it as something 'instead', more something 'aswell'...

  • larry
    9:15 PM 22/10/2016

    The second player to handle the ball for Glascow was being tackled, and instead of "going to ground" as so many players do, he passed it off! That's how the game needs to be played! So many times players are tackled when they could have passed the ball off to a team mate coming off them from behind. The game needs players who are aware enough to keep the ball alive, not killing it in setting up another boring ruck, followed by another usually non-contested boring ruck, followed by....you get the drill. There's just too much of that, and it's BORING, and with defenses just spreading across the field, the kind of play seen in this video can't happen.

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