Glasgow Warriors are into the United Rugby Championship semi-finals after beating Connacht 28-14 at Scotstoun, a result that sends them to Murrayfield next Saturday and leaves them two wins from the title. Kyle Steyn scored twice in a five-tries-to-three victory that was enough to get the job done.
The match mattered because Glasgow needed to turn a home quarter-final into a statement, and Steyn gave them the kind of edge that changes a knockout game. He scored two tries and, just as important, produced a lung-busting effort to haul down a certain Connacht score in the first half, the sort of intervention that does not show up on the scoreboard but often decides who keeps playing in May. Patrick Schickerling, Josh McKay and Jare Oguntibeju also crossed for the home side, while Connacht replied through Cian Prendergast, Dave Heffernan and Finlay Bealham. Sam Gilbert kicked three conversions for the visitors.
Connacht had arrived in the final knockout place on the back of strong late-season form, carrying the tournament’s best defence and a sharp try-scoring record into a quarter-final that had the look of a trap for the top seeds. They were quick out of the blocks too, with Prendergast scoring and Gilbert converting for a 7-0 lead before Schickerling pulled Glasgow level by half-time at 7-7. That was the first sign that this would not be the vintage Glasgow display their supporters have seen at their best; they were comfortable enough, but not fluent enough to suggest the road gets any easier from here.
The home side found another gear early in the second half when McKay struck in the opening 10 minutes, then Steyn’s second try pushed them further clear. Connacht briefly kept the contest alive with Heffernan’s score just after the hour mark, even after Alex Samuel was sin-binned for Glasgow, and Bealham answered within minutes of Oguntibeju’s try to keep the margin from ballooning. But Steyn’s late finish settled it. Glasgow now wait to learn whether they will face the Bulls or Munster at Murrayfield, with the same stadium set to stage the final if they keep going. For all the control of the scoreline, they will know they need more gears than this to win the competition.
