Gloucester
Glaws throw away chance for Euro victory
Scott Lawson - try
By Cherry Picker
October 9 2010
Bryan Redpath hit the nail right on the head after Gloucester's 26-19 European Challenge Cup defeat at the hands of Agen in France - it wasn’t a case of the home team winning the game, but of Gloucester losing it. After their recent Premiership improvement, the cherry and whites looked a naïve side as they fell back into bad old habits.
They had done enough to win the game and with eight minutes left they were 19-16 in front, but a late penalty levelled the scores and a controversial injury-time converted try gave Agen their win.
"We lost the game from some dull decisions - two yellow cards in the second half - that's what lost us the game, not the referee,” Redpath told the BBC.
"We just had to dog it out and when you go down to 14 men against a big pack you make it tough on yourselves. That game was there to win easily at 13-3.
"We jumped off script too many times, so I'm hugely disappointed. I thought that was a game to take away from home - we lost that game rather than they won it."
Whether it was a case of Glaws seeing the finishing line and starting to celebrate before the final whistle we’ll probably never know, but they certainly lost their way late on and Nicky Robinson’s 14 points went to waste.
Two early Robinson penalties gave Glaws a platform, and Scott Lawson’s try, converted by Robinson, whose kick had created the opening, earned that 13-3 lead at the break.
But Tongan Opeti Fonua scored a try converted by Valentin Courrent, who had already kicked a penalty, and the home team were level, going ahead at 16-13 with a Courrent penalty before two Robinson penalties made it 19-16, and then came that late Fonua try. He appeared to lose control of the ball as he went over, but it was given and Courrent’s conversion rubbed salt in the wounds.
Yellow cards for players of Peter Buxton’s and Mike Tindall’s experience are inexcusable in such a game.
It’s not a disaster, but it’s not good either and the circumstances don’t make it any easier to stomach – throwing a game away through bad discipline and poor decision-making earns a black mark anywhere.
In France, there’s usually only one outcome.
Next weekend’s home tie against Italians Rovigo - beaten 38-3 at home by La Rochelle on Saturday - is a must-win.
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09/10/2010 20:33
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Quote:against Italians Rovigo - beaten 387-3 at home by La Rochelle
Gosh
That will be a Guinness Record !
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:10:10:11:06:59 by No'9'.
"FACES more drawn than the pitted plum delicacy that dominates this town, Gloucester’s early enforcers wound up impotent prunes in Agen last night.
The locals soak their favourite dried fruit in Armagnac and kick back, savouring the sweet taste infusion.
At half-time last night it never looked as though Agen’s rugby stars would get the chance to continue that epoch-long tradition in celebrating a home victory – but then Bryan Redpath’s resolute men crumbled."
I'll have a pint of what he/she is on.
Quote:Do try to catch up old son! Such fly-blown rhetoric is cosidered laudable in the footie reports of such revered organs as Tabloid Radio 5 Live and theTwo Sheds
On the subject of writers, what about this on the Citizen website:
"FACES more drawn than the pitted plum delicacy that dominates this town, Gloucester’s early enforcers wound up impotent prunes in Agen last night.
The locals soak their favourite dried fruit in Armagnac and kick back, savouring the sweet taste infusion.
At half-time last night it never looked as though Agen’s rugby stars would get the chance to continue that epoch-long tradition in celebrating a home victory – but then Bryan Redpath’s resolute men crumbled."
I'll have a pint of what he/she is on.
Sun 'newspaper'.
'No-one ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the general public'. ( ? PT Barnum, or some ageing Australian.)
Quote:Beep.
What are you going on about?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:10:13:10:11:03 by No'9'.
