Glasgow v Leinster: Five takeaways as ‘good ticker’ and ‘worldie solo try’ leave visitors on the ‘naughty step’
The bragging rights at Scotstoun were all Glasgow's with George Horne impressing and Leinster's RG Snyman, inset, struggling
Following a 38-17 victory for Glasgow over Leinster, here are our five takeaways from the top of the table United Rugby Championship clash at Scotstoun on Saturday.
Top line
Last weekend’s Triple Crown bragging rights were all Ireland’s with their commanding late flourish versus Scotland in Dublin, but the club shouting at Scotstoun was all Glasgow’s following this feisty URC clash between two of the title favourites.
There was a compelling start to this nine-try contest, Glasgow generating an avalanche of pressure only to be sucker-punched on 17 minutes by a sweet Rieko Ioane intercept of a Kyle Rowe pass to Alex Samuel on the visitors’ 22.
The All Black galloped as far as the halfway line where he found the supporting Josh Kenny, and the Leinster winger outpaced Ollie Smith to score. It was a lovely finish, but its consequence was to rouse the Warriors and the relentless attack that followed had Brian Deeny yellow-carded on 26 minutes.
This man-up advantage was immediately exploited, as George Horne’s quick tap found Euan Ferrie and his assist put in Macenzzie Duncan with Hugo Keenan fluffing his last-ditch tackle. Horne’s conversion was on the money, and the situation quickly worsened for Leinster with Ronan Kelleher carded for his high shot on Stafford McDowell.
Against 13, Glasgow were soon mauling forward to score through Gregor Hiddleston and then through Horne rounding off the break that had started with Ioane getting beaten way up the field.
A Rowe peach then followed three minutes from the interval, where he brilliantly beat Jimmy O’Brien with pace from deep, out-foxed Sam Prendergast with the kick ahead, sprinted ahead of Ioane and then stepped inside Kenny for the bonus point try. Unreal.
Twenty-six points had been given up during these sin-binnings, but Leinster grabbed seven back before the break when Prendergast’s pass sent in Keenan. A gap of just 14 was well within the Irish side’s capability of reeling in, but they were held up over the line four minutes into the second half, and then an O’Brien kick rolled dead 10 minutes later.
That was about the extent of their comeback threat, and the win was eventually confirmed for Glasgow 11 and a half minutes from time when Smith fobbed off a couple of tackles and gleefully ran in from the 22.
Sub Ciaran Frawley did hit back with a Leinster score, but the final say was Horne’s before a follow-up ruckus produced yellows for both teams – Glasgow’s Adam Hastings and Leinster’s Rabah Slimani.
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Little bang for big buck
These matches without their Ireland stars are the league games where the big money overseas signings are supposed to earn their Leinster corn, but All Blacks midfielder Ioane and Springboks lock RG Snyman both had performances that didn’t deliver as they should, and this theme continued with French import Slimani then seeing yellow in the final throes.
This was a massive game for the defending champions, an opportunity to make amends for their last-day mishap at Cardiff and erode the four-point gap that existed between them in fourth place and Glasgow on top. That never materialised, and the night instead ended with the Warriors nine points clear of Leo Cullen’s side. Ouch.
Ioane, to his credit, was the creator of Leinster’s opening try with a canny intercept, but their team was in dire need of Test-level leadership when they encountered first-half card trouble. Four tries were given up across the yellow peril – three when down to 13 – and a sharp response wasn’t forthcoming in a second half where Snyman exited on 53 minutes having been outplayed by the excellent Samuel.
If you glance at their carries and metres made statistics, Ioane and Snyman do rank adequately, but the concession of four tries in 10 minutes was a terrible collective look for them and their level of experience.
Three of Leinster’s five remaining regular-season league matches are at home, so the situation is far from dire, but this second away loss in succession has left them with limited wriggle room in the race to secure a home quarter-final. Last year, their consistency gave them home semi-final and final advantage as well, but topping the pile now looks beyond them after this defeat to Glasgow.
Good ticker
Fair play to Franco Smith. Not doing the bread and butter well enough last season left his Warriors at the mercy of Leinster in Dublin, as it was Cullen’s side that eliminated them from both the URC and Investec Champions Cup title races.
However, it appears that the South African coach has it drilled into his side that there can’t be slips up and that home advantage in the knockouts for as long as possible is imperative if trophies are to be won.
They slipped up in the final play at Connacht last time out, but the league leaders and No.2 seeded European side demonstrated that was but a blip with the fantastic way they went for the jugular against Leinster.
So many teams that get a card advantage failed to exploit the situation to the full, but Smith’s Glasgow are different gravy. Getting tempo and width in the game is the button they detonate when the chance arises and they were sublime in racking up the points with two of the visitors away on the naughty step.
Established threats such as Horne and Rowe were especially fantastic in making numbers count in that period, but the dominant shoutout must go to their forwards, who ensured there was never a sniff of a Leinster comeback during that 28-minute second-half stalemate.
Good ticker was exhibited, the sort that will add to the whispers that these Scots are potential champions in the making.
Prendergast’s salty return
It was February 14 when Leinster out-half Prendergast was last seen in action, Andy Farrell curtailing his afternoon against Italy and ushering Jack Crowley on to rescue Ireland. A break from playing was certainly needed for the under-fire youngster, but the way his return five weeks later finished highlighted how the 23-year-old is going to have a difficult time with opposition players not shy of tossing verbal grenades.
Of course, Prendergast is no stranger to histrionics himself. Look at his unnecessary shouting at a touch judge in the second half when Leinster were held up over the line, and then the roll on the ground he took which Samuel took grave exception to.
It all culminated in Hastings ruffling Prendergast’s hair after the final Glasgow try was scored, an incident that was at the core of the group fight that then kicked off. Hastings was rightly admonished that his carry-on wasn’t in the spirit of the game and he was yellow-carded.
The incident, though, showed what will be coming Prendergast’s way as he looks to rebuild after his forgettable Six Nations. How did he play? He gave Keenan, who carried well on his return from injury, a nice assist pass for a try, but there was nothing else to crow about.
The Rowe show
You can’t but like the attitude of Glasgow wing Rowe. It was his intended pass to Samuel that caused the intercept for the opening Leinster try, leaving the Warriors unrewarded for all their early pressure.
It’s the sort of galling mishap that can have a player go in on himself and stop being ambitious. If anything, though, it had the opposite effect on the No.14, and he went on to produce the worldie of a solo try, the sort of classy score that helped to explain why the sold-out signs keep going up at Scotstoun.
Forget structure, forget playing the ‘safe’ percentages. Just give it socks and see what unfolds. Rowe did… and the footage was a brilliant moment that deserves to go viral and show off what an entertaining attacking outfit Glasgow really are. Well played.