Last-gasp disappointment for Scots as Swedes reach f i nal

Curling

next step from champions.

“It has been great coming to Scotland and I’m enjoying it, and glad I came,” he said, smiling, “now that I’m getting used to this weather.

“Being a good friend of Sean Maitland, I know that he has enjoyed it [playing for Scotland] immensely, and he has only had good things to say. Watching Scotland do well, as they did this season, has really excited me. It’s a long way down the road, but if it ever happens I’ll be really excited about playing for Scotland.

“But, my focus is on Glasgow. In the few weeks when the Scotland guys were playing the Six nations, we showed that we have great depth at the club. We have done really well and getting those guys back complements the rest of the players. We’ve had a week off and it is good for the body to have a rest, but now we need to push on.

“We’re playing a lot of very good teams in the competition, top-of-the-table sides. leinster have been brilliant the past few years, especially in Europe. they are unbeaten at home in the Rabo this season, and that’s exceptional and shows how good they are at home.

“For us to keep our going we really have to this week. this could be

challengers

to form focus a big changing point of the season we get this one this weekend.”

as expected, leinster have named a side missing a core of famous faces with test players Rob Kearney, luke Fitzgerald, Brian o’driscoll, Jonny Sexton, cian Healy, Mike Ross, Sean o’Brien and Jamie Heaslip all out through injury, suspension or being rested. However, with Gordon d’arcy back, Fijian star Isa nacewa at full-back, Ian Madigan and Isaac Boss at half-back and Heinke van der Merwe, Sean cronin, leo cullen and Shane Jennings providing solid test spine in the pack, victory tonight will be more difficult than that achieved by Glasgow against an even more understrength leinster side during the World cup last season.

With play-off places now on offer, and the knowledge that this game and next week’s against Ulster, could determine whether leinster have a home semi-final or not, a packed 16,000 RdS Showground will expect a home win tonight.

if

But Strauss’s presence in the Warriors underlines how the strength has grown in the Scottish teams this season, all with a clear goal: to enable Scottish sides to contest for silverware. When Strauss first pitched up, there were concerns that he might keep out talented young Scots, but it is a key balance.

Ryan Wilson and Rob Harley are proof that players can develop alongside the newcomers while Strauss’ form, and that of Fijian scrum-half niko Matawalu, has underlined that good signings are welcome signings, the pair playing key roles in propelling the Warriors into title contention. the South african’s experience of competing for honours could also be vital in keeping them there.

Glasgow are pulling together a blend that Edinburgh are still yearning for, but it is now, as the pressure rises, that we will discover whether it has the potential to go that extra yard and turn recent promise into champion status. Scotland are having to take the long route to the final of the titlis Glacier Mountain World Women’s curling championship.

they faced Sweden in yesterday evening’s Page one versus two Play-off and looked like clinching victory until skip Eve Muirhead picked up some debris with her second-last stone of the game in the tenth end, leaving her stone out of position. this let Sweden score the three they needed for a 7-5 victory, meaning that Sweden instead of Scotland earned the direct route to tomorrow’s final.

With Scotland leading 5-4 after the eighth end, Sweden blanked the ninth end to retain last stone advantage in the tenth. the Scots had that end under control too, until Muirhead’s pick-up gave Sweden a chance. Even at that, Muirhead played a near-perfect freeze with her last, but Prytz was able to tap it out, as Sweden scored three for their win.

the Scots now face the winner of today’s Page three versus four Play-off – either canada or USa – in this evening’s semi-final, with the winner of that joining Sweden in the final and the loser playing for bronze.

after the game a visibly upset Muirhead said: “that totally got away from us. We had a hellish pick-up on my second-last stone in the last. We had that end sealed up... that’s curling. You get these unfortunate breaks and what can you do?”