Glasgow Warriors: 28 (0)
Tries: McKay, Brown, Tuipulotu, Hiddleston, Conversions: Hastings x4
Stade Toulousain: 21 (21)
Tries: Dupont, Gourgues x2, Conversions: Ramos x3
Glasgow Warriors defied the odds this weekend, bouncing back from a scoreless first half to take a bonus point win against Toulouse in an exhilarating second round of the Investec Champions Cup.
16 years since their last win against the French side, who currently sit at the top of the top 14 table, Warriors launched a heroic second half comeback in front of a bouncing Scotstoun Stadium crowd that will go down in history as one of the club’s greatest victories.
Aided by the wind and the return of Antoine Dupont to the starting lineup, Toulouse dominated the first half. But by full time they were left dazzled by the mighty Warriors.
First Half
It took Dupont just 6 minutes to score under the posts on his first game back wearing the 9 strip. A stunning support line saw him take advantage of the break made by Flament. The petit general also played a part in Toulouse’s controversial second try. Warriors fans considered the final link up between Dupont and Gourgues to be a forward pass, but referee Carley allowed the try.
Warriors were consistent in their defensive efforts in their 22, diffusing the threat of the Toulouse set piece. With the wind against them in the first half they struggled to exit effectively, but multiple Toulouse infringements saw them work their way down the field and into the opposition’s half. Warriors infringed themselves just 10m from the Toulouse try line.
A period of time passed without points scored by either team, but some disorganised play from Toulouse struck panic in the Warriors defence and space opened wide for Gourgues to score his second of the match.
A final opportunity for Toulouse in the first half saw Capuozzo cross the line out wide, however the try was disallowed due to a foot in touch.
Toulouse proved they were just as effective in defence as in attack as they were able to prevent several attacks from Warriors, sending them into the sheds scoreless after 40 minutes with the 6 time champions cup winners 21 points up.
Half time score: Glasgow Warriors 0 – 21 Stade Toulousain.
Second Half
The early substitution of Horne to scrum half changed the pace of the Warriors attack, with quick phases drawing in the Toulouse defence. The ball was passed wide to McKay who ran it in to score under the sticks. Soon after, McKay was replaced by Lancaster due to a hamstring injury.
Glasgow seemed to gain momentum, forcing Toulouse to infringe and give away territory. After a strong string of attack in Toulouse’s 22, Warriors second row replacement Brown battered over the line. Hastings’ conversion brought them within 7 points of the lead with over 20 minutes to go.
The pressure on Toulouse’s defence increased as Warriors consistently broke the line, fuelled by the Scotstoun crowd. After strong carries from the pack and another advantage, Tuipulotu was the next to score. The sides were tied.
A break from McDowell saw Warriors enter the Toulouse half once again. Further infringements from Toulouse gave the home team yet another opportunity that was capitalised on by Hiddleston off the back of the driving maul. Lancaster came close to a try off the bench but couldn’t keep ground the ball securely.
In a complete contrast to the first half, Glasgow continued to dominate the field until the whistle blew confirming their bonus point win.
Full time score: Glasgow Warriors 28 – 21 Stade Toulousain.
Glasgow Warriors fly half Hastings was named player of the match.
Post Match
Warriors head coach Franco Smith was incredibly proud of his team’s victory. He was pleased to only concede 3 tries in the first half due to the tough weather conditions that favoured Toulouse. The coach had always expected a stronger second half from his squad.
He said: “The plan was always to bring Gregor on as an extra ball carrier. George would come on in the second part of the game to lift intensity. They slotted in at the right time. The last bunch of boys that came on, we waited until the right time. to make sure we have the freshest pair of legs towards the end.”
Smith recognised that with a victory against one of the best teams in the world comes expectation for more performances of the same standard.
He said: “I know there’s a lot of expectation that’s going to come now. It’s going to be important for me to channel that expectation away from the team and concentrate and focus.”
Inside centre and try scorer Sione Tuipulotu also knew Warriors had to be patient for their chance to come in the second half.
He said: “That was a 20 point wind that we were playing into. It did start swirling in the second half, but you saw how much the momentum flipped once we scored one try.”
Though the result will go down in Glasgow Warriors’ club history, Tuipulotu remained aware of the reality of the fixture.
He said: “The sobering part of all of this is that it’s just a round game. We’ll take a lot of confidence from it, but the reality is that we don’t get a trophy for beating Toulouse in the second round of the European Cup. We have to keep out feet on the ground.”
Glasgow Warriors will return to the United Rugby Championship next week in the first of their derby matches against Edinburgh who were nilled by Castres this weekend. Warriors hope their fans will bring electric energy to Hampden as they look to fight for another victory in the 1872 cup.
