DOWN AND OUT
Warriors defeated as Montpellier march on in Europe
MONTPELLIER
T — Guirado, Bouthier. C — Lozowski (2). P — Lozowski (4).
GLASGOW
P — Hastings (5), Thompson (2).
Ared card for replacement TJ Ioane scuppered Glasgow’s bid to reach the last eight of the Challenge Cup last night. Glasgow were eight points down but very much in the game when the back-row forward was sent off for a dangerous tackle that he didn’t have to make just before the hour mark.
Glasgow’s discipline was poor throughout with centre Nick Grigg yellow-carded with four minutes left. The visitors gave away far too many penalties overall and were architects of their own downfall.
They weren’t helped by a firsthalf injury that forced full-back Huw Jones to go off which deprived them of their biggest attacking threat. To lose by just five points after having a man sent off and playing the last quarter with just 14 men made you realise how poor discipline had let Glasgow let the chance of a famous victory slip through their fingers.
Glasgow made the perfect start, with Adam Hastings putting his side ahead with a penalty in the first minute. The French drew level with a kick from Alex Lozowski, before Hastings reinstated the lead with another penalty.
When Glasgow’s Zander Fagerson was penalised for not releasing, Lozowski slotted his second penalty of the game.
Jones, playing at full-back, had a strong start to the match but had to go off with an ankle injury midway through the first half.
Winger rufus McLean moved to full-back, with Niko Matawalu coming on to play out wide. When Hastings put over his third successful penalty out of three, the visitors looked in control.
Then two mistakes from Ali Price nearly cost his side, with the scrum-half kicking straight into touch from outside his own 22.
After gifting the ball back to the French side, Price was lucky not to concede a penalty try as he looked to take out Johan Goosen when he was about to gather to score. referee Karl dickson of england thought differently and awarded a scrum with a Glasgow put-in.
Knowing they had got out of jail, Glasgow pressed forward but a knock-on by prop Oli Kebble stopped a good attack in its tracks.
You would have put money on the visitors holding their threepoint lead to the break but a mistake by Lee Jones gifted the ball back to the French outfit. rather than take an easy three points from the Jones’ knock-on, Montpellier instead kicked to the corner. They won the line-out and the forwards went through the phases before captain Guilhem Guirado dived over. Lozowski put over the extras to give the home side a four point half-time lead.
In such a tight match, the first score of the second half was always going to be vital. Sadly for Glasgow, it went the way of the French side.
Just three minutes after the break, a fine attacking break saw the home side go from the centre of the field to out wide in three passes. With Matawalu off his wing to try and make the extra man in defence, Vincent rattez found some space and it was his pass inside to an unmarked Anthony Bouthier that allowed the full-back to run in to score. Lozowski put over the extras.
Glasgow hooker Fraser Brown thought he had got his side back in the match when he took a quick tap penalty and forced himself over the line. The referee awarded the try but, after discussion with the TMO and after watching replays, he changed his mind as it became clear Brown had lost control of the ball when he tried to touch down.
Although the try was not given, Montpellier had their lock Bastien Chalureau sent to the sin bin for tackling Brown too early after he had taken the tap penalty. Hastings put over his fourth penalty in a row minutes after the French side had been reduced to 14 men.
Then, just three minutes after coming on as a replacement, Ioane was sent off for a high tackle. It was the correct decision by the referee to red-card him for what was a dangerous tackle by the Warriors’ back-rower. Lozowski put over the penalty to increase the lead for his side.
Glasgow pulled three points back with a Hastings penalty on the hour mark but being a man down had given them an uphill task to get back into the match.
replacement fly-half ross Thompson put over another penalty for his team to cut the deficit to five before Lozowski put over another for the home side.
With seven minutes left, Montpellier replacement Martin devergie was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle. From the penalty, Thompson cut the deficit to five points but they got no closer.