Air and graces
Niko Matawalu scores two tries as Glasgow beat Lyon 21-10 at a freezing Scotstoun in the European Champions Cup
GLASGOW 21 LYON 10
IT was not pretty, easy or particularly pleasant for all parties at a freezing Scotstoun yesterday.
It was nevertheless job done for Glasgow in this European Champions Cup clash with Lyon, albeit a victory that did not yield a much-sought-after try bonus point. Still, the Warriors’ ambitions on the European front remain on track thanks to this win against a Lyon team that could not quite make up its mind whether it was here for a jolly or a joust, and that played out the last 10 minutes with 14 men.
With home advantage, and probably the added attraction of a warm shower to look forward to, Glasgow wanted a fast start.
It took just 47 seconds for the Warriors to turn the scoreboard over.
Adam Hastings fielded a kick inside his own half and sped through the Lyon defences, deep into their 22. Stuart Hogg provided a beautifully weighted grubber kick that landed nicely for a diving – or maybe that should be low-flying – Niko Matawalu to touch down. Given all six flags on the facing stand were blowing in different directions simultaneously, it was perhaps no surprise the conversion was missed by Hastings.
When the wind did drop, Hastings planted a penalty from the Lyon 10m line, just to subdue the vocal French contingent in the stand. And the Scotland stand-off kicked another in front of the posts to put the hosts 11-0 up before quarter-time had been reached.
Lyon had nothing to play for after three successive defeats. At best, they looked happy to go through the motions and, at worst, disinterested.
Their mood was captured by fullback Jean-Marcellin Buttin’s attempt to trap Hogg’s territorial kick, resulting in a Glasgow line-out and more pressure on the red ranks. And it soon yielded another try.
The handling of the Glasgow backs belied the conditions and Hastings’ inside pass to Hogg was returned in the same direction for Matawalu, on the wrong wing, to run home his second try of the day.
By contrast, Lyon were toiling to put any number of passes together, chucking up possession any time they looked to be making headway.
Meantime, the incessant sleet was by now lying in large quantities on the Scotstoun surface, making some tackles a rather spectacular sight, with flumes of water being kicked up. Those hot showers were becoming more appealing by the minute.
Glasgow did not have it all their own way. Lyon drove over the Warriors’ line, but the TMO was unsure. The resulting scrum gave Lyon another platform to launch a sortee, and this time they at least gained a numerical advantage when Callum Gibbins was yellow-carded.
However, while the Glasgow line remained unbreached, Jean-Marc Doussain cut the deficit to 18-3 right on half-time.
Only at the interval, with the players off the field and ground staff on it, armed with shovels and brushes, did you appreciate just how treacherous the surface had become.
Gibbins was restored after his stay in the comfort of the sin bin, which meant the hosts had only suffered a three-point penalty in his absence. With a full complement, however, Glasgow shelled a full seven, Pierre-Louis Barassi scoring in the corner and Doussain converting from tight on the touchline.
It did not now look quite so comfortable for the Scots.
Glasgow battled hard and were soon on the front foot. Through a dozen phases, they drove up to inches from the Lyon line but, when they sought space to work in, Hastings threw a misplaced pass and Lyon swarmed on the loose ball.
However, Glasgow showed what could be done off scraps. On a Lyon line-out, Glasgow read the throw sufficiently well to get Jonny Gray airborne and the Scotland lock, with the merest of touches, gave possession back to the Warriors. From that press, Hastings got the chance to kick another penalty to make it 21-10.
Ten minutes left, and Glasgow’s task was somewhat eased when Etienne Oosthuizen decided to hit Hastings with a forearm smash.
Even on first replay, let alone the 27th on the big screen and viewed by the TMO, pitch officials and a Glasgow crowd, whose jeers of derision became louder with every angle viewed, it looked a bad one and entirely calculated, and Oosthuizen departed with a wave of the red card from referee Ben Whitehouse.