Ospreys 34 - 23 Glasgow Warriors
STUART McALLISTER May 11 2009
Max Evans is out of the running for a possible call-up to both the Lions squad and the Scotland Sevens squad after damaging knee ligaments in a low-key game which had more farce than class.

Certainly, Glasgow coach Sean Lineen felt his side had missed an opportunity to claim a notable scalp. Both sides scored three tries, but the difference was the visitors' lack of discipline, conceding a stream of penalties and having three props sin-binned.

The match finished in chaos with Glasgow managing to have 15 players on the pitch when they should have had 14, with plenty of head-scratching among the officials during 15 minutes of injury time.

"I am very frustrated. The Ospreys were there for the taking, but our lack of discipline cost us badly," said Lineen. "I feel this season we have taken two steps forward and one step back."

Glasgow started brightly and scored an early try.

Pressure brought a lineout five yards from the Ospreys line, with right wing Lome Fa'atau coming into midfield in a pre-planned move. That created space wide out and quick ball allowed full-back Bernardo Stortoni an easy try, converted by outside half Ruaridh Jackson.

The Ospreys soon levelled through No.8 Filo Tiatia after a Shane Williams break was taken on by Marty Holah. Then Glasgow indisipline handed the initiative to the home side as they conceded a stream of penalties.

In less than 10 minutes, Glasgow went from leading by three points, after a Jackson penalty, to trailing by nine as James Hook landed four penalties in quick succession for a combination of hands in the ruck and offside.

Glasgow did show they retained their cutting edge with a good line by Evans in midfield, the centre then gave the scoring pass to Fa'atau.

However, the Ospreys hit back with a try by full-back Gareth Owen on the stroke of half-time, following a Hook break through the midfield.

Any chance Glasgow may have felt they had at half-time soon evaporated in a wave of disruptions and substitutions, one during half-time, one three minutes into the second half and then three more a couple of minutes after that.

The most serious of those was unquestionably Evans being stretchered off with his leg injury (he will have a scan today), but things were about to go from bad to worse.

Loosehead prop replacement Justin Va'a was sin-binned for trying to poach the ball under pressure on his own try line, and from the resulting scrum No.9 Jamie Nutbrown went over for a try.

Debutant Jon Welsh came back on at loosehead, but he too was soon sin-binned, along with opposite number Paul James, which led to uncontested scrums. Tighthead Moray Low followed before the end of the game with five sin-binnings in all.

Confusion spread to the officials once Va'a's period on the bench was up and Glasgow were able to return to 15 instead of 14 with flanker Callum Forester also returning. Fa'atau did add his second in the 15th minute of injury time, but that was too little, very late indeed.

This article was originally posted on 11-May-2009, 22:22 by Hugh Barrow.
Last updated by Hugh Barrow on 11-May-2009, 22:22.