Richie Gray crowned Scottish rugby’s best-ever Heineken Cup weekend by snatching victory for Glasgow over Bath with an outrageous last-gasp try at Firhill on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Scotland lock, who announced only last week he was leaving the Warriors at the end of the season, pounced as Duncan Weir’s drop goal attempt in what appeared to be the last act of the game bounced wickedly in the 22. Gray snared the ball and scored under the posts.
Weir’s conversion completed the win over the shell-shocked West Countrymen who appeared to have the game won after World Cup winner Stephen Donald’s penalty put them 21-18 ahead two minutes from time.
Instead Glasgow came back at the death and, for the first time after Edinburgh won at London Irish on Saturday, both Scottish pro teams beat English Premiership sides in Heineken Cup action on the same weekend.
”We had a bit of luck, but we earned that,” said head coach Sean Lineen. ”The way we won this game epitomises the character of this squad nobody out there ever gives up on anything. That’s five wins in a row now and this is what happens when you get on a run like that you don’t give in and find a way to win no matter what.”
Gray said that he’d realised when Weir’s final drop goal was half-charged that it was a live ball.
”It’s just the bounce of a rugby ball and I just had a little more reach than Rob Harley does,” he said. ”I’ve been taking a bit of stick from the guys after last week’s decision but this is obviously right up there with my best moments for Glasgow.”
Weir picked up the man of the match award despite describing his first 20 minutes as ”my worst of the season”.
”The drop goal was pretty far out but I was positive it was going over. It was just good following up by the guys. Rob would have got it if Richie hadn’t it just shows it’s never over until the final whistle.”
Despite the lead changing hands eight times and the incredible finale, this was far from a classic, with referee Christophe Berdos’ whistle the most influential factor.
Glasgow’s win came despite a crippling penalty count against them and the merciless kicking of Bath’s young stand-off Tom Heathcote.
The youngster, preferred to start over Donald, slotted six penalties from six attempts with the Warriors punished four times for offences at the scrum.
Weir booted four himself, including three in the first half when Glasgow’s scrambling defence kept Bath at bay, and the visitors’ lock Ryan Caldwell was fortunate not to see a yellow card when he swung a punch at Chris Cusiter.
The Warriors led 9-6 at the break and even after Heathcote booted Bath back in front with two penalty strikes, seemed to have the upper hand with the crucial first try.
Lineen had just replaced Rob Dewey with Troy Nathan in the centre and the Kiwi produced a deft off-load on his first action to spring full-back Stuart Hogg through a yawning gap in the Englishmen’s defence for an easy try, converted by Weir.
The fly-half kicked a good penalty to get Glasgow back in front with six minutes left after Heathcote had succeeded with two more penalties, but Donald, who came on for the youngster for the final ten minutes, showed the same sort of cool he showed in the World Cup final with a penalty to put Bath ahead with less than two minutes left.
Harley secured the kick-off ball to give his side one last chance, although after a succession of phases the ball came back to Weir nearer halfway and his drop goal shot was half-charged down.
However, the ball ricochetted into space and took a huge bounce over the stranded Bath full-back Nick Abendanon, leaving Gray to be the first to react, seize the ball and plunge over the line for the winning score.
Photo Graham Stuart/PA Wire