Glasgow Warriors 20 London Wasps 10: match report

Glasgow Warriors 20 London Wasps 10: match report
Read a full match report of the Heineken Cup Pool Six game between
Glasgow Warriors and London Wasps at Firhill on Sunday, Jan 16 2011.
Wasps, giving one of their most inept performances in recent years at
exactly the wrong time, shot themselves horribly in the foot when a
significantly understrength Glasgow team still taught them any number of
harsh lessons.

The net result is that a shell-shocked Wasps are left clinging on by
their finger tips to any chance of a quarter-final place. Mathematically
there is still a glimmer of hope, but don't hold your breath.

Even if Wasps could somehow recover from this no-show and conjure a
miraculous bonus point win on Sunday over mightly Toulouse - who need to
"turn-up" and chase the win required to ensure a home quarter-final -
it is unikely that a final pool total of 20 points will be enough to
garner one of the two best runner-up spots.

Those spots will surely come from pools four and five, although we have
learnt to never say never in the Heineken Cup over the years.

Bullied up front from start to finish by Glasgow's splendid but
curiously underrated front five, Wasps floundered for most of the game
despite the encouragement of a cracking early try from Tom Varndell,
courtesy of a searing break by Joe Simpson.

From start to finish it was Glasgow, with little more than pride to play
for, who produced the intensity and focus of a team attempting to reach
the quarter-finals. In so doing Sean Lineen's men struck a minor blow
for Scottish rugby, demonstrating a hunger and appetite for the fray
which was sorely missing from Edinburgh's abject performance at
Northampton on Friday night.

"That just wasn't acceptable by our standards and we all need to look at
the reasons why, but we can't sit around sulking too much because we
have to front up against Toulouse next week," said Wasps' non-plussed
director of rugby Tony Hanks.

"We came up here to win, we are a team and club full of ambition and we
have made it very, very difficult to get through now. But I would take
nothing away from them, Glasgow put us under pressure and were better.
We knew it would be tough, we have always had tough games against them.

"They maintained possession and we didn't, we turned ball over too many
times. Defensively we didn't put enough pressure on them. You have got
to be a lot more clinical than that to win any Heineken Cup game.

"Next week now is about front up and responding. It's a home game in
front of a big crowd and we have got to respond. The minimum aim is to
win."

Leading the way for an inspired Glasgow team with a Man of the Match
display was young No 8 Ryan Wilson, just 21, who trialled with Wasps
three years ago and played a couple of A team matches before it was
decided he was surplus to requirements, a decision that is now not
looking so clever.

Just getting a game in the formidable Glasgow backrow is no easy task
but Wilson looks a major talent and yet another tearaway who will be
challenging for Scotland honours soon.

Certainly it says everything about the quality of Wilson's display that
Johnnie Beattie - unavailable and guesting for Ayr down at Birmingham
& Solihull - was not missed for a minute.

Glasgow started as they meant to continue with a high tempo handling
game which defied the underfoot conditions which resembled a ploughed
field.

Initially they went unrewarded and, after David Walder and Ruaridh
Jackson had swapped penalties, it was Wasps who struck first with their
one coherent moment of the game. It will look good on the highlights
reel but offers no consolation whatsoever.

Simpson, promoted to the England senior squad in midweek, broke at high
pace from a scrum and threw out an irresitible pass to Varndell that
left the speedster little option than to tear down the left wing for a
fine score. Walder added the extras from the touchline and everything
indicated a fairly routine day at the office. How wrong can you be.

From that moment onwards it was Glasgow who redoubled their efforts,
monopolised possession and bossed the game, although the points were
slow to come. Jackson claimed two more penalties to reduce the deficit
to just one point at half-time and after the break it was all Glasgow
again.

Their try was a superbly taken effort, Wilson pouncing on turnover ball
in his own half to send Colin Shaw sprinting down the left wing before
Colin Gregor - a marvellously effective and energetic presence at
scrum-half throughout - steamed up in support for a score that
epitomised Glasgow's positive and committed attitude to this game.

Jackson completed the formalites with a fourth penalty and a dropped
goal, with Wasps never remotely threatening to raise a late gallop.

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