Huwipulotu

Glasgow 33 – 33 Ulster

I hate draws

They feel so flat. And it feels like you’re so much closer to a win that it’s even more disappointing that you didn’t get it. Regardless, it was a strong performance from both sides and probably a fair outcome. It wasn’t the result as I predicted (I said 35-21), but it means Glasgow continue unbeaten so far this season. Since Franco took over, this is the first time the team has been unbeaten through the first two games. It was always going to be a tough start playing three of the Irish sides in the first three games, so dropping points was to be expected.

Problems

Two main problems stood out for me in that game. One was discipline, and the other was the continued inaccuracy with Glasgow’s out the back pull-back passes. I’ve seen many people laying the blame for the result on George Horne for getting pinged for throwing the ball at Tom Stewart just before half-time. Resulting in a penalty reversal and Ulster then scoring to take the lead going into the break. However, I think that’s incredibly harsh. The incident itself was harsh; if that penalty was inside the 22, then Stewart may have found himself getting a yellow. The ref blew because an Ulster player pulled Horne off his feet and into the ruck. And it was well after the whistle was blown and the hand raised that Tom Stewart rushed in to grab the ball, which he had no right to do, and an already incensed Horne was having none of it.

But Glasgow received three yellow cards this game. One yellow last week too. This is not acceptable. Playing ten minutes with 14 men and ten with 13 is never going to help. The last two were arguably harsh, but Glasgow need to be cleaner when defending on their try line, or more will come. In both games this season, Glasgow have given away fewer penalties than their opponents yet received more cards. Glasgow need to be more careful with where they give these penalties away and how many times they get penalised back-to-back. Also, in both games, one of Glasgow’s backs has received a yellow for a deliberate knockdown when Glasgow are under pressure. Would it not be better to concede a try than go down to 14 and risk a penalty try or the likely chance of the opposition scoring during the next ten minutes? During Lancaster’s ten minutes in the sin bin, Glasgow actually outscored Ulster by 7 points to 5. But maybe that just says something about Glasgow’s attack.

Errors in attack have cost Glasgow a lot in both games. When those pull-back passes go to ground, it’s not just a blown chance in attack, but also an easy opportunity for the opposition to either gain possession or put Glasgow under huge amounts of pressure and kill Glasgow’s momentum. There is no cover as everyone is in position out wide, and so when the ball goes to ground, every Glasgow player has to turn to get to it, whereas defenders can just keep advancing forward without needing to change direction. If this isn’t sorted out soon, then it could really cost Glasgow against teams who may be expecting it or putting even more pressure on it as it will be identified as something to attack in teams’ analysis of Glasgow.

Top Performers

• George Horne – Now this might be controversial for some; however, I thought wee George had a great game. He brought energy and terrorised the Ulster defence. His break and kick following his quick tap penalty led directly to Glasgow’s fourth try as he forced the Ulster defender to take the ball back over his try line and ground it, giving Glasgow a 5m scrum. The width on his pass in the move for Josh McKay’s try was also excellent, taking out multiple defenders and forcing Ulster to make a misread. Yes, if he had made the last two kicks, Glasgow would have won by 5, but he still had an excellent game otherwise.
• Sione Tuipulotu – Sione is back. He may have had a quieter game than I’d have liked, but he carried hard and threw a brilliant pass over three Ulster defenders to put Dobie away in the corner. He made 16 post-contact metres, 11 tackles and 19 passes, showing his versatility in attack.
• Kyle Rowe – A man who is becoming harder and harder to ignore when looking at the Scotland picture. I think with everyone fit, he’s behind Steyn, Darcy and Duhan for me. But he’s seriously pushing them. He seems to score a wonder try every week, and this week was no different. His glorious effort from 55m out is already up there as one of the best finishes this season. If only it had been the try that won the game.

Looking ahead

Glasgow play Connacht on Friday night. I must apologise for the lateness of this post; I had a busier start of the week than I had planned. The teams will be out later today, and I will aim to have the preview post out tonight.