Lam and Townsend differ on Swinson red card

Connacht coach Pat Lam and Glasgow Warriors boss Gregor Townsend are both unhappy after Tim Swinson was sent off in their clash on Saturday.

The Warriors claimed a 35-24 win over the PRO12 champions with Swinson receiving a red card with 15 minutes left on the clock for a swinging arm challenge on Dave Hefferman at a ruck but Lam and Townsend had differing views on referee Ian Davies' decision.

Lam was frustrated by his side's defeat and said there were other incidents which Davies failed to act on.

"I think that the referee picked up a very clear red card. Kieran Marmion has also taken a pretty hard knock to the head," Lam told Sky Sports.

"We talk about the safety of the players and we have got to be consistent. I will look through it all and then put it through the process. 

"There is no doubt that a few of the boys are pretty annoyed with some of the things going on but the main thing for us is to go through it and then go through the right channels.

"If there needs to be then there is a citing commission."

Townsend, meanwhile, has a different view and feels Connacht's players are the ones who were guilty of foul play. 

"I don't know the other incidents well but when one of our players is high tackled and players come running in to throw punches then maybe you have got to look at your own team first," he said.

Towsend also revealed that he will go to the disciplinary commission to argue that the decision to send Swinson off was wrong in a bid to have the player availabel for the Warriors' Champions Cup quarter-final against Saracens next weekend.

"I think you have to look at all the angles – swinging arms can be used in rugby and he is aiming for the ball," added Townsend.

"It looks like they had one look at the angle and made his decision. With a serious decision like a red card you have to look at all the angles to make sure what the player was doing and were the opposition player was falling – it could have been no more than an accidental collision.

"In the context of what happened as Tim was coming in to look to dislodge the ball – because we were not getting many chances of fairly competing for the ball on the way the game was refereed today – as the player was falling down and he has just mistimed his chance to dislodge that ball."