CONNACHT’S CHANCES OF Champions Cup qualification received a significant boost as Glasgow Warriors reached their first European final with a 35-17 Challenge Cup success away to Scarlets in Llanelli on Saturday.
Had Scarlets gone on to win the competition, they would have replaced Connacht as the United Rugby Championship’s final qualifier for the Champions Cup. After today, only a Benetton triumph in Europe’s secondary tournament — or the Sharks winning the URC — can ruin the western province’s Champions Cup dream.
Italian club Benetton travel to French Top 14 outfit Toulon at Sunday, with the winner facing Glasgow in the Challenge Cup final at the Aviva Stadium on 19 May. South Africa’s Sharks, meanwhile, face a trip to Dublin to face Leinster in their URC quarter-final next Saturday.
Glasgow centre Stafford McDowall scored two tries against Scarlets, with scrum-half George Horne, flanker Rory Darge and replacement hooker Johnny Matthews also crossing the Welsh region’s line.
Horne also kicked five conversions for a 15-point haul as Glasgow came from behind to win after going down 17-14 early in the second half.
Steff Evans scored Scarlets lone try, with fly-half Sam Costelow landing four penalties.
A crowd of 13,000 — the Scarlets’ biggest home attendance for five years — did their best to roar on the Welsh side but Glasgow prevailed.
“The Scarlets threw everything at us tonight, the crowd was immense,” Glasgow coach d coach For us to handle the pressure we put on ourselves in the first half was fantastic.
“We felt a little bit nervous, even guys who have played Test-match rugby.”
He added: “Benetton have been playing well lately, have had some good away games in South Africa. Toulon are a consistent power and have some star-studded players. It’s going to be interesting, we will be sitting watching.”
Scarlets boss Dwayne Peel was left lamenting a raft of in-game injuries that disrupted his side’s rhythm.
“I thought at half-time it was an even contest and we were right in it,” he said.
“We just didn’t manage to get over the line in their 22.”
He added: “I can’t fault the effort of our boys. I thought we were right in the game.
“We had three head injury assessments in the first 20 minutes, which is unheard of really. To lose all three, and then to lose Vaea Fifita as well is difficult.”
Correction: A previous version of this article failed to mention that Connacht would miss out on Champions Cup qualification if the Sharks win the United Rugby Championship.
- Scarlets-Glasgow match report via AFP
