LAMONTS' DOUBLE ACT IN GLASGOW'S HALF-CENTURY

Llanelli Scarlets 30, Glasgow 57

Pure dead brilliant! Glasgow ran in no fewer than seven tries in racking up a half-century of points in overwhelming Llanelli in the Celtic League match at Stradey Park this evening.

Rory Lamont scored three of the tries. His brother, Sean, had two of the others, and Dan Parks kicked 22 points with five conversions and four penalty goals.

A place in the Celtic Cup quarter-finals later this month should now be secure for Glasgow. It would be fully deserved on this showing.

It was Glasgow’s first half-century in the league, and what was amazing was that it was achieved away from home. Moreover, it was against the league’s champions of last season.

Glasgow did not have it all their own way. They were under pressure in the scrummage, and they lost too many of their own lineouts. But their defensive work was excellent, and they were the masters of taking their chances, not least when Sam Pinder poached the ball from what was intended as a short penalty kick into the corner. His interception led to his own try.

Glasgow set their mark by going 13 points up after only 10 minutes. Within four minutes of the kick-off Parks kicked two penalty goals, both from inside his own half, and when Calvin Howarth struck a long kick downwind into the left corner Glasgow turned the screws, exploiting Llanelli’s lineout knock-on. Jon Petrie drive from his own scrummage pick-up, Kevin Tkachuk carried on, and Steve Swindall finished off by diving in for a try that Parks converted.

Llanelli, however, struck back twice inside seven minutes. Gareth Bowen kicked a simple penalty goal, and when Howarth hit a long punt too hard from his own 22 away over the dead-ball line the ensuing scrum proved costly for Glasgow. Andy Powell’s set up Aisea Havili’s first try, but Bowen missed the conversion from wide out.

Llanelli cut more into the visitors’ lead when Dwayne Peel’s break from a scrum on his own 10-mjetre line let Tal Selley in. Again Bowen’s goal kick was wide.

Before half-time, however, the Lamont brothers’ double act turned the game Glasgow’s way again. Rory scored off Andrew Henderson’s link on the blind side of a close-range scrum, and Sean intercepted less than 10 metres from his own line and ran all the way. Selley chased, though to no avail, and Parks converted for 28-13.

Time was still left before the interval for a Vernon Cooper try, the lock forward profiting from Llanelli’s decision to opt for scrum five metres out from a penalty award.

Would a 10-point lead be enough insurance for Glasgow playing against the stiff wind in the second? The answer was soon to be seen, when Pinder charged down Bowen’s attempted clearance and only just failed to score

Immediately, Petrie’s charge and Andrew Wilson’s linkage were key elements in Rory Lamont’s second try. It was the bonus-point score, and Parks converted as well as adding another penalty goal. The visitors led 38-18 after 54 minutes.

By then the game had surely gone from Llanelli, but Glasgow persisted by countering from Peel’s break. Turnover ball allowed Sean Lamont the overlap, and the wing had his second long scoring run, this one from almost 80 metres. On the way he escaped the clutches of Chris Wyatt and Matthew Watkins.

On Glasgow went to their half-century, and the means of doing it was bizarre, with Pinder stealing the attempted penalty kick to touch. Havili caught the Glasgow scrum half deep inside the Llanelli half, but Sean Lamont support recycled the ball for Pinder to score. Parks converted for the big five-O.

In the final 10 minutes the scoreboard turned on three more times. Barry Davies and Havili scored tries, Bowen converting the full back’s score, and the coup de grace, as if it were needed, was delivered, inevitably, by a Lamont, Rory scoring in the right corner. Parks converted from tight on the touchline and across the wind.

Llanelli Scarlets – Barry Davies; Aisea Havili, Matthew J Watkins, Salesi Finau, Tal Selley; Gareth Bowen, Dwayne Peel; Phil John, Matthew Rees, John Davies, Vernon Cooper, Chris Wyatt, Simon Easterby (captain), Andy Powell, Gavin Thomas. Substitutes – Robin McBryde for Rees (62), Adam Jones for Wyatt (62), Garan Evans for Watkins (66), Steve Thomas for Finau (66), Mike Phillips for Havili (76).
Tries, Havili (2), Selley, Davies, Cooper; conversion, Bowen; penalty goal, Bowen.

Glasgow – Calvin Howarth; Rory Lamont, Andy Craig, Andrew Henderson, Sean Lamont; Dan Parks, Sam Pinder; Kevin Tkachuk, Scott Lawson, Euan Murray, Joe Beardshaw, Dan Turner, Steve Swindall, Jon Petrie (captain), Andrew Wilson. Substitutes – Gordon Bulloch for Lawson (39-40 and 49 minutes), Colin Shaw for Howarth (58), Graeme Beveridge for Pinder (66), Paul Dearlove for Swindall (66), Andrew Hall for Beardshaw (70), Ben Prescott for Tkachuk (76).
Tries, Rory Lamont (3), Sean Lamont (2), Swindall, Pinder; conversions, Parks (5); penalty goals, Parks (4).

Referee – Simon McDowell (Ireland).
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This article was posted on 9-Apr-2005, 20:38 by Hugh Barrow.