| Full name | Glasgow Warriors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1872 | ||
| Location | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Ground(s) | Firhill Stadium (Capacity: 10,887) | ||
| Chairman | Charles Shaw | ||
| CEO | Kenneth Baillie | ||
| Coach(es) | Sean Lineen | ||
| Captain(s) | Alastair Kellock | ||
| Most caps | Dan Parks (53) | ||
| Top scorer | Dan Parks (1531) | ||
| Most tries | Thom Evans (27) | ||
| League(s) | Celtic League | ||
| 2010–11 | 11th | ||
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| Official website | |||
| www.glasgowwarriors.org | |||
The Glasgow Warriors, formerly Glasgow Rugby, are one of two professional rugby union teams in Scotland, Edinburgh being the other. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12 and their home ground is Firhill Stadium, also the home of Partick Thistle Football Club.
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Glasgow Rugby were created to compete in the Heineken Cup as the SRU did not think that Scottish club sides could compete against the best teams from France and England.[1] Glasgow, however, did not compete in the Heineken Cup until the 1997–98 season.
Due to the SRU's high debt, partly as a result of the redevelopment of Murrayfield – called for retrenchment. After two seasons, Glasgow merged with the Caledonia Reds to form a team to be known as Glasgow Caledonians.[2]
The issue of crowd sizes returned at the 1999 World Cup, by which time a Welsh/Scottish League had been announced – essentially the Welsh First Division with the two Scottish sides added on.[3]
The Celtic League began in the autumn of 2001; Glasgow reached the semi-finals of the inaugural competition but struggled thereafter. From the 2002–03 season the Caledonian label was dropped and the team were simply known as Glasgow Rugby.[4] Starting with the 2005–06 season, the team were yet again rebranded as the Glasgow Warriors.[1]
The enforced merger came just after Glasgow had shown some signs of progress by qualifying for the Heineken Cup quarter-final play-offs, in which they suffered their heaviest defeat (90–19) to Leicester Tigers.[5] The combined strength of the new teams was supposed to build on such modest progress and initially some very successful results were achieved including the 1999 win against Leicester (30–17) but overall the team lacked consistency.
In 2004/5 they were fifth, the best of the three Scottish teams.[6]
After impressive preseason displays, Glasgow Warriors kicked off in the new Celtic League against Newport-Gwent Dragons and suffered an agonising (23–24) loss after a last minute penalty.[7]
However Glasgow would bounce back, and didn't lose another home game until Ulster came to Hughenden in January 2007.[8] Glasgow played well away to English side Saracens in the European Challenge Cup, and drew with them at home en-route to a Quarter-Final berth. But in that Quarter-final they were once again drawn with Saracens, and despite a fantastic display they lost out 23–19 at Vicarage Road.
However, the Warriors continued their good run at Hughenden, beating both Scottish rivals just a week apart – Edinburgh [9] and Border Reivers,[10] and at the start of April title hopefuls Leinster arrived at Hughenden. Glasgow put in a fantastic performance to win the game (26–20),[11] before following it up with a good away win against Irish side Connacht.[12] Their next game saw them travel to Ravenhill to face Ulster – one of 2 sides to beat them at Hughenden, and they stunned the home crowd by winning the game.[13]
Then it was the turn of Welsh side, the Neath-Swansea Ospreys (a side that would win the title at Netherdale the following week) to travel to Hughenden. The Ospreys crossed the Glasgow try-line within 45 seconds, and crossed twice more to take a (26–9) lead just minutes from half-time, before Glasgow's Dan Parks converted his own try to take it to 26–16 at half time. In the second half, Parks kicked another penalty before setting up Graeme Morrison for a try, which he converted to level the scores. Parks kicked a penalty from just shy of the half way line to take a 3 point lead and the Ospreys couldn't find a way out of their own half for the remaining 20 minutes.[14]
The Warriors failed to make it 5 in a row the following week, but coach Sean Lineen was happy with his team's performance over the season nonetheless.0
Glasgow came into this season off the back of a record equaling 5th place the previous season, and having bolstered their squad over the summer with big names such as Pumas' fullback Bernardo Stortoni and Samoan winger Lome Fa'atau, but struggled in the early rounds due to missing key players to the RWC in France. They started with two trips to Wales, losing at both Cardiff and Swansea, before returning to their new home at Firhill to face all 4 Irish provinces in consecutive games – and run during which Munster were the only side to take anything from (an 11–11 draw). Although the Warriors continued this impressive home form, with wins over Cardiff in the League and both Viadana and Biarittz in the Heineken Cup, they could muster nothing away from home. (although they did come within a charged down drop goal of beating Biarritz in France).
The Warriors then traveled east, to take part in what would become one of the best Scottish derbies of recent times. A traveling support of around 2,000 from the West coast meant a great atmosphere and a new record crowd for a game in Scotland of 6,225 watched Glasgow fight back from a large deficit to take the lead in the dying moments through a Dan Parks try, only to have their hopes crushed as Ben Cairns raced home between the posts to seal it for Edinburgh.
And then things got worse as Newport – long known as a bogey team for Glasgow – breached the defences at Firhill and recorded the first away win in Glasgow since Ulster had won 363 days previously!
But Glasgow had to bounce back immediately – with home wins against Viadana and Biarritz putting them firmly in the mix for a Heineken Cup Quarter Final berth, they had a potential all-or-nothing game against Saracens at Firhill: But only if they could beat Viadana in Italy. The Warriors had not won an away game in the competition since their debut against Ulster a decade ago, but on a miserable day in Northern Italy they did it! However even with a record crowd of over 5,000 at Firhill the following week, they couldn't beat Saracens to go through to the knockout stages, Even with Scott Carmichael scoring a hat trick of tries and slotting a drop goal from within his own 10metre line.
All their games during the 6 Nations break went with home advantage, as did their trip to Dublin, before The Warriors turned up the heat and went unbeaten through their last 5 games: At home to Edinburgh (winning the 1872 Cup in the process) and the Scarlets, and on the road to Newport, Ulster and Munster (the latter would win the HC the following week) and meaning they would once again finish in 5th place.
The build up to this season was much more modest, with Coach Sean Lineen opting to sign local youngsters where possible instead of expensive foreign imports who hadn't done a job the season before. The league campaign started with a trip to bogey side Newport and for the second time in a row, Glasgow triumphed in atrocious conditions. They would not fare so well a month later however when their European Cup campaign also opened at the Welsh club. Meanwhile a home defeat to the Ospreys second string and away to Connacht, before trouncing the Scarlets with 5 tries at Firhill set the tone for the season – mixed.
Very mixed. Indeed the week after the aforementioned trip to Newport in the Cup, Toulouse arrived at Firhill and were to be outplayed for the opening 40 minutes – but a second's lapse in concentration saw Toulouse take the lead with a try just before half time. After the break another 2 soft tries before being giften one of their own meant their European Campaign was over before it had begun.
The mixed form then continued with a 28 to nil victory over Cardiff, but defeat in the re-opening of Thomond Park. Then came the first of 2 games, the season will be remembered for. Glasgow traveled to Bath's famous Recreation Ground knowing they were as good as out of the competition, while Bath were still in the hunt for qualification. 20 year-old Ruaridh Jackson was given his first start, and Glasgow raced ahead in the opening moments. A Thom Evans hat-trick, along with a Hefin O'Hare try and a fantastic interception try from young Jackson was not enough to pip Bath – the home side scoring 4 tries of their own to win 35–31 in what pundits said was "the best game of the competition so far".
Then came back to back derbies, with the first leg at Murrayfield attracting another record crowd of 12,500. Unfortunately Glasgow didn't turn up and Edinburgh strolled in 4 tries to put one hand on the 1872 Cup. In the return leg, a Glasgow record of 6,665 packed into Firhill to watch Glasgow hold to clinch a 25–20 win, thanks to a Graeme Morrison try, and 20 points from the boot of Dan Parks. In what was now becoming typical fashion though, Glasgow followed it up with a home defeat to Newport.
But Glasgow bounced back from that defeat in style. They traveled to France to face Toulouse knowing they were out the competition, but Toulouse were very much alive in the competition they have won more times than any other team. They would be facing them in a country Glasgow had never won a HC game in, in a stadium that no away team had won at since the Scarlets, 25 months previously and against a team that had only lost twice all season. Glasgow opened the scoring with a Parks penalty near halfway, that was cancelled out moments later. But then the game came to life – Max Evans chipped a ball down the left side, and while brother Thom was hasselling the Toulouse defender, Morrison grounded the ball over the line before Parks converted to the sound of jeers from the French crowd. Then Max Evans again chipped the ball down the left side, and this time was collected by Thom, and some great hands saw it go from him to John Barclay who sent Kelly Brown over for the score – and in doing so brought the Stade Ernest Wallon to its feet. Parks then converted and added a drop goal to lead 26–6 at half time.
In the second half Max Evans then created his own try to extend Glasgow's lead to 33–9, before a brave fightback saw Toulouse score 2 tries (1 a penalty try) in the final 10 minutes to come back to 33–23, but with the clock ticking down they were then forced to accept the bonus point by kicking a penalty. FT: Toulouse 26–33 Glasgow Warriors.[15]
Glasgow followed that up with a hard fought win over Newport at Firhill to finish third in the group, but then fell twice during the 6 Nations – away to both Cardiff and Ulster. Then Munster became the 5th team to triumph at Firhill, but Glasgow got back on track the following week putting 6 tries past the Scarlets away, before losing at home to Ulster: missing a last minute penalty in the process.
Season 2009/10 has marked an upturn in fortunes with Glasgow leading the Celtic League at the halfway point. On 27 December 2009, a record crowd of almost 9,000 watched Glasgow defeat Edinburgh 25–12 at Firhill. They also won the repeat fixture at Murrayfield 22–15. But they failed to advance out their pool group in the Heineken Cup, registering only two victories over Gloucester and the Newport Gwent Dragons. The domestic season proved successful for Glasgow, they finished 3rd overall, recording notable victories over a very young Leinsterside with only two regulars in the first team playing for the visitors and Munster at home and away at Cardiff Blues. However they lost out in the play-offs, losing 20–5 to the Ospreys.[16]
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under IRB eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-IRB nationality.
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