Connacht men caught at post in late drama
Date Published: {J}
Rob Murphy atthe Sportsground
JUST when we thought we were going to get away with a handy little smash and grab, Eddie stole our thunder. No, not the Connacht mascot. It was James Eddie, the Glasgow blindside flanker who was the pivotal figure as he sprinted home in the corner for a try that should never have happened.
Connacht had the extra man because of Calum Forrester's sin binning. They had a five point lead and Glasgow's winger, Colin Shaw was out of the game injured. The home side had defended their lines for no less than 20 phases of play and all seemed to be well, but a momentary lapse on the blindside opened the door and Eddie, the Glasgow eagle needing no second invitation.
The missed conversion offered solace in the shape of a draw. Connacht are now unbeaten in their last six home games. Now, there's a positive stat amid the gloom of Friday's end-game scenario. The fact that Michael Bradley's crew have at least came away with points from their past two games is also encouraging.
In the past, Connacht have racked up the pointless outings with ease, but to turn the corner they were always going to have to start small and build. Losing bonus points and even scrambling draws in games where the performances leave a lot to be desired is a good sign overall. That is the long term route to finally getting off the bottom of the table.
That won't happen this season, however. At best, Connacht will hope for three more wins and a couple of bonus points from the remainder of the season. That would provide solid momentum for crunch European fixtures ahead.
To make progress in Europe and become the first group of Connacht players to really deliver a crunch victory when the eyes of Europe are on them, major improvements on this display are needed.
Discipline is a problem, the pedantic refereeing of James Jones can irk the calmest of supporters on a good day. He frustrated the crowd on Friday but in his defence the 11-10 penalty count in favour of Glasgow is hardly scandalous and, of those, 21 calls it was hard to fault more than two.
His detractors will rightly point to some of the non calls as the best example of what the majority felt was a poor display. A key no call against Glasgow for holding on in that final attack was vital as was his inconsistent monitoring of the offside line.
Connacht didn't really click for 50 minutes, interestingly they conceded all of their 11 penalties during that time and trailed 14-3 as a result of poor retention of possession, a lack of penetration out wide and a palpable sense of flatness for long periods.
Glasgow came to grind out the points missing 12 front line internationals. They are second in the Magners League table thanks to some brilliant form this year but this game was always going to be a major obstacle with a host of absentees. They'll be happy with the two points gained.
Ruaridh Jackson kicked well, his penalties had them 6-3 ahead at half time after a drab opening forty minutes in which the visitors certainly commanded but one where they never looked like scoring a try.
For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.