Irish referee for Glasgow’s semi v Ulster
● Forwards coach’s focus is on beating Ulster and securing Celtic Park dream
There won’t be a neutral referee in charge of Glasgow Warriors’ Guinness Pro 14 semi-final with Ulster at Scotstoun on Friday night after it was confirmed that John Lacey will lead an all-irish line-up of match officials.
Scottish teams, and supporters, have had a fractious relationship with Irish referees in the past and, while neutral referees are usually employed in cross-border games in the competition, it is not mandatory.
The 45-year- old Lacey, from Tipperary, refereed 37 Test matches before ending his international career last year and will retire fully at the end of this season to take up a role with the IRFU.
Lacey will be backed up at Scotstoun by Irish touch judges Andrew Brace and George Clancy as Glasgow seek a win that would secure a place in the final at Celtic Park against Leinster or Munster.
Glasgow finished the league season strongly, winning their final eight Pro14 fixtures, a run which included a 30 -7 triumph over Ulster.
Scottish referee Mike Adamson will take charge of the clash of the Irish provinces in Dublin on Saturday, supported by compatriots Lloyd Linton and Keith Allen.
Such has been the focus on Friday night’s Guinness Pro14 showdown with Ulster that departing Glasgow forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys confesses that it hadn’t even occurred to him that Friday will be his last time in the home coaches area at Scotstoun.
The former Wales hooker, who is leaving at the end of the season before joining his home nation as an assistant coach, had four years leading Scotland’s pack between 2013 and 2017 under Scott Johnson and Vern C otter before the 50 -year- old joined the Dave Rennie set-up at Scotstoun.
“I have loved it,” he said after considering the prospect that the semi-final will be a kind of end, though hopefully not a complete culmination. “Not just here, being in Scotland has been incredible for me but it’s not going to end on Friday.
“It will be a massive wrench. I have been putting that off and you [the press] are making me think about it now. I love it up here. I love the people, the people I coach with and hopefully it will go on for the next couple of weeks.”
Victor y over Ulster, as it did in the ultimately triumphant Pro12 of 2015, stands between Glasgow and another appearance in a final, though this time it comes with the added car rot of Celtic Park showpiece in their home city.
Much has been made of the long gap between the end of the regular season and the home semi-final but Humphrey sis confident that the Warriors are in a better place than last year when they flopped against Scarlets. The late-season form of eight straight Pro 14 win son the bounce is in stark contrast to last season but Humphreys doesn’ t deny that the fall ow period from the win over Edinburgh on 27 April to Friday night has required some precise managing.
“It is a challenge because we had good momentum and a good feeling amongst the group,” said the coach. “The boys have been unbelievable. We have had some fun, some tough sessions. It is all about getting us to Friday and better than we were in the last game we played which was Edinburgh. That is what we are after. A lot has been within the squad, competitions and, in all aspects we have tried to be competitive. Some of it fun, some serious. We just try to make sure the competitive edge and instinct is around us all the time. ”
Humphreys said the challenge now wasn’t to maintain that momentum but to raise it further. “We want to get better. We don’t put a ceiling on that,” he said. “Saracens, the best team in Europe, we didn’t perform that day. That gave us the kick that we needed.”
Glasgow cuffed Ulster 30 -7 at Scotstoun in the Pro14 last month but Humphreys, who will join Wales’ post-world Cup set-up under new coach Wayne P iv ac, is expecting a much closer contest this week .“This is the play-offs ,” he said. “This is where everybody wants to be at this time of year so we are expecting a real fired up team, a real physical team but we believe if we play well we have a great chance of winning.”
One benefit of the weeks off has been keeping a clean bill of health and Hu mph reys reported that Niko Matawalu, who was reported to be carrying a knock last week, is available for selection along with the likes of DTH van der Merwe, who has come back from a shoulder injury which was thought in February to be a season ender.
“It is great to welcome some of the players back but we have operated for long parts of the season with everybody whether thet have played a few minutes,” added Humphreys. “Niko is getting there. He has had a couple of weeks where he has been limited a bit but he is in good spirits right now and available.”