Dan Lancaster spoils dad Stuart's birthday as Glasgow punish Connacht

Connacht paid big price for ill-discipline and problems up front despite fielding their strongest side

Glasgow Warriors' Dan Lancaster in action against Shayne Bolton of Connacht. Pic: ©INPHO/Craig Watson

URC: Glasgow Warriors 36 Connacht 19 

Glasgow Warriors out-half Dan Lancaster helped ruin his dad’s 59th birthday as Connacht left Scotstoun empty-handed after an ill-disciplined display.

Stuart Lancaster might have hoped it would be a case of third time lucky playing against a Glasgow side with his son steering the Warriors, but the Connacht head coach saw his side pay a big price for ill-discipline and problems up front despite fielding their strongest side.

It leaves Connacht heading into the Champions Cup against Saracens next weekend with a lot of room for improvement, not least up front where they again, for the third game running, had difficulties.

This game was the first time ever that Connacht started with a dozen senior internationals on board — plus Lion Finlay Bealham on the bench — while Glasgow started with 11 capped players and two more on the bench.

Connacht had never won at Scotstoun and had to go back to a 19-17 win at the home of Partick Thistle FC at Firhill in 2010 for the last time they won in Glasgow.

But they took the game to Glasgow from the outset and with 81% possession in the opening 15 minutes, they eventually hit the front when Seán Jansen squeezed under the posts after sustained pressure.

Prior to that three close range surges ended with two jackals and a knock-on and while Connacht were stopped when they tapped a penalty in front of the posts, quicker ball from Sam Illo from another penalty sent Jansen over, with Ciarán Frawley tapping over the conversion.

Connacht’s blitz defence clearly rattled Glasgow but the Scots beavered away at the breakdown and once again Connacht’s scrum and maul defence was found wanting.

By the break Glasgow were 19-7 in front with three maul tries, hooker George Hiddleston getting the first after a penalty to the left corner after Mack Hansen was pinged for going off his feet to leave it 7-5 at the end of the opening quarter.

The second came after 31 minutes when Connacht were hammered on their own scrum, the penalty going down the right and Scottish flanker Rory Darge scoring with a maul from distance.

Connacht defended a couple of penalties to the right corner in the closing stages of the half but newly capped Illo had a nightmare few moments, conceding an unnecessary penalty when he was on the ground and then getting pinged and binned when they tried to defend the penalty to the left corner. Inevitably, Glasgow scored, hooker Hiddleston touching down again and George Horne landing the conversion from the left to leave Connacht 12 adrift at the end of a half where they conceded a dozen penalties to three for the home side.

Dan Lancaster was instrumental in setting up the bonus point try three minutes after the restart when his crosskick was collected by winger James Dobie and threaded through for his full-back Josh McKay to score, with Horne’s conversion making it 26-7.

Lancaster knocked on the restart and 14-man Connacht punished them from the scrum with Josh Ioane, starting his first match at full-back for Connacht, timing his run to perfection to score, with Frawley’s conversion making it 26-12 after 48 minutes.

Connacht, with their bench making an impact, particularly Shamus Hurley-Langton and Finlay Bealham, got right back in contention after 59 minutes when Frawley and Cathal Forde combined to send Ioane over in the right corner and cut the gap to 26-19.

But they suffered a huge blow from the restart when replacement lock Josh Murphy was binned for a high tackle on replacement hooker Seb Stephen after 62 minutes.

Glasgow then pushed the lead out to 33-19 three minutes later with another try from a lineout maul but four Connacht penalties in a row into the right corner led to a yellow card for lock Scott Cummings six minutes from time.

But Connacht couldn’t make the extra man count and after Bundee Aki was pinged for dissent, Glasgow finished the game on the front with Horne tapping over a penalty to secure their second win of the campaign and inflict a second loss on Connacht.

Scorers: Glasgow Warriors: Tries: G Hiddleston (2), R Darge, J McKay, S Stephen. Cons: G Horne (4 from 5). Pen: Horne.

Connacht: Tries: J Ioane (2), S Jansen. Cons: C Frawley (2).

Glasgow Warriors: J McKay; J Dobie, O Smith, S Tuipulotu, F Watson (B Kuenzle 71); D Lancaster, G Horne (C Reidy 71); N McBeth (P Schickerling 56-79), G Hiddleston (S Stephen 56), F Richardson (S Talakai 56); M Williamson (J Oguntibeju 56), S Cummings; M Fagerson (G Brown 41), R Darge, M Duncan (A Miller 77).

Connacht: J Ioane (S Naughton 77); S Bolton (45-50, S Gilbert 53), B Aki, C Forde, M Hansen; C Frawley, C Blade (C Reilly 56); B Bohan (F van Wyk 49), E de Buitléar (M Victory 49), S Illo (Bealham 49); D Murray, N Murray (J Murphy 52); C Prendergast, P Boyle (S Hurley-Langton 49), S Jansen.

Referee: Ben Breakspear (Wales).