Challenge Cup bid over as Glasgow’s brave fightback comes up just short

MONTPELLIER GLASGOW WARRIORS

Glasgow’s Challenge Cup bid ended in France last night with a 26-21 defeat at Montpellier.

Adam Hastings kicked five penalties and Ross Thompson two for Warriors in a tight game that was still in the balance right up to the final whistle despite the visitors playing the closing minutes with just 13 men to their hosts’ 14.

A high tackle by TJ Ioane in the 55th miute saw the Fijian shown a red card by referee Karl Dickson.

Guilhem Guirado and Anthony Bouthier scored the home tries but Warriors continued to battle to the end with Florian Verhaeghe of Montepellier and Nick Grigg of the visitors shown yellow cards in the frantic closing minutes.

In a game of few chances, the visitors nearly snatched a last-gasp victory after battling back from 20-9 down but Thompson’s cross-kick agonisingly bounced out of the reach

of the charging Lee Jones.

Glasgow still had time for one more attack but the French side turned the ball over and booted into touch to seal their place in the quarter-finals.

● Curtis Rona’s last-gasp try stole 14-man London Irish a dramatic 41-35 victory over Cardiff Blues.

Jarrod Evans’ drop-goal put the Blues back into a 35-34 lead with time ticking away, but Irish broke the length of the field with Rona finishing in style.

Declan Kidney’s side were forced to play the majority of the second half with 14 men after prop Will

Goodrick-Clarke was sent off. But Irish pulled victory out of the bag, to book a quarter-final trip to Bath.

Kristian Dacey, Josh Adams, Jason Harries and Lloyd Williams all crossed for Cardiff, with fly-half Evans slotting three conversions and two penalties to add to his late drop-goal.

But Ollie Hassell-Collins bagged a brace for Irish, who also had Ben Loader and Terrence Hepetema on the score sheet.

Former Ireland fly-half Paddy Jackson’s five conversions and two penalties also proved pivotal for the hosts.

Bath had earlier set up that last-eight battle with Irish by fighting back to beat Zebre in Italy.

Beno Obano, Anthony Watson and Jacques Du Toit plundered tries to drag the Blue, Black and Whites back from the brink with a 35-27 win over the Italians.

Pierre Bruno bagged a hat-trick for Zebre, but the hosts were ultimately unable to hold off the Bath comeback.

Adam Hastings.