Biarritz 41-20 Glasgow Warriors
The win secures Biarritz a home quarter-final tie
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By Darren Estwick. |  |
Sunday, 24, Jan 2010 02:07
By Tom Powell
Biarritz came from behind to see off a plucky Glasgow Warriors side 41-20 to secure a home tie in the quarter-final of the Heineken Cup.
The French side had already qualified for the knockout stages but the win saw them leap frog Clermont-Auvergne into second place in the seedings.
The visitors may have had little to play for in terms of qualification but went down fighting having led 20-11 with half an hour to play.
Thom Evans and Eduard Coetzee traded tries but it was the visitors who held a narrow 13-11 half-time lead thanks to the boot of Dan Parks.
Chris Cusiter stretched the lead before the boot of Valentin Courrent plus tries from Takudzwa Ngwenya, Ilikena Bolakoro and a penalty try saw Biarritz home.
Glasgow Warriors made wholesale changes to the side that beat Newport Gwent Dragons last weekend with Dougie Hall, Moray Low, Alastair Kellock, John Barclay, Cusiter, Parks and Graeme Morrison in the starting 15.
Biarritz, one of four French sides to reach the quarter-finals, left England internationals Iain Balshaw and Ayoola Erinle on the bench and included teenagers Paul Couet-Lannes and Yann Lesgougues at full-back and scrum-half respectively.
Courrent kicked the hosts into a deserved third minute lead after Kellock was penalised for coming in the side of a ruck.
Glasgow were implementing a tactical kicking game to counter the pace and power of their opponents and it was a well-placed kick that earned the visitors the opening try of the match.
Cusiter chipped over a static Biarritz backline and Thom Evans out-ran Bolakoro before gathering the ball and diving in at the corner.
Parks slotted the conversion from wide on the right to give the Warriors a 7-3 lead with 12 minutes gone.
Ten minutes later and the lead was seven as Parks kicked a three-pointer from bang in front following Magnus Lund's failure to roll away from the tackle area.
The hosts were rattled and after Courrent's restart went out on the full Parks was soon kicking Glasgow further ahead after Jerome Thion deliberately knocked the ball down with the visitors threatening.
Those three-points were quickly wiped out by Courrent on 30 minutes after Kellock was again penalised at the breakdown, this time for using his hands in a ruck.
It could have been worse for the visitors had Courrent punished further Glasgow indiscipline but the fly-half dragged his penalty attempt wide.
It didn't prove to matter too much as Biarritz crossed for their first try of the afternoon three minutes before the break.
A succession of rolling mauls on the Glasgow line eventually collapsed over the line with Coetzee emerging at the bottom with a five-pointer to drag his side to within two points at 13-11.
Parks came within inches of reopening a five-point lead after the break but his penalty struck a post after Coetzee had been penalised at a scrum.
The Warriors, not content with sitting back and defending, were nine points ahead with 50 minutes gone after a try that started under the own goal posts.
Bernardo Stortoni gathered a high kick and set off on a weaving run that saw him link with Max Evans and Rob Dewey who then found Cusiter who dived in under the posts.
Parks added the extras but five minutes later Biarritz had cut the gap to three via Courrent's third and fourth penalties of the afternoon.
Further Warriors indiscipline gave Courrent the chance to draw the sides level but this time the fly-half was off target with a long-range attempt.
The 27-year old made amends on 62 minutes, restoring parity after Glasgow were penalised for standing up in a scrum.
Thirteen minutes after moving nine points ahead Glasgow were seven points behind as Ngwenya powered passed Ruaridh Jackson to score in the corner with Courrent adding the extra two.
The Glasgow scrum had been in trouble all afternoon and it was in more trouble with 12 minutes to go as Biarritz surged towards the Warriors whitewash.
Referee Dave Pearson had finally seen enough and awarded the hosts a penalty try that secured a home quarter-final.
Bolakoro put the icing on the cake in the last minute, smashing over from close range to earn his side a bonus point and wrap up a 41-20 win.