Alongside Ospreys’ grudge match against Munster, Guinness PRO14 Round 16 kicks off in style on Friday night as Connacht travel to Scotstoun to take on Glasgow Warriors. That’s the top four in Conference A all in action on Friday evening in what could be moving day on that side of the draw, as the teams look to rein in current leaders Munster. Glasgow are two points behind Munster and Connacht nine behind the Scots, knowing a big win could get them within shooting range of the top of the table. Ahead of Friday’s Scotstoun shoot-out we’re taking a look back at a classic Warriors v Connacht clash, in the glory days of the Irish province. THE LAY OF THE LAND Connacht are enjoying a strong season in the Guinness PRO14, currently sitting third in Conference A and teasing a return to the halcyon days of their 2016 Championship-winning campaign. Back in May 2016 Connacht were still seeking that title but had been in scintillating form all season long under head coach Pat Lam, finishing second in the 12-team table. Fly-half AJ MacGinty had been pulling the playmaking strings perfectly throughout the campaign and was ably assisted by bruising centres Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw, as well as now-retired Connacht stalwart John Muldoon. Lam’s men won had won another tight affair between the two sides a fortnight before to set up the semi-final, giving them confidence ahead of the huge clash. THE GAME The game was stopped after just 69 seconds as Glasgow’s in-form fly-half Finn Russell went off on a stretcher following a collision with teammate Zander Fagerson, as they tried to tackle Aki. The home side were ahead in the 24th minute, but it was only 3-0 as MacGinty kicked a solitary penalty to give Connacht a lead to represent their growing dominance. Duncan Weir bisected the posts to restore parity but Connacht got their try in the 37th minute as Aki placed a kick through the Warriors defence for Niyi Adeolokun to skilfully collect and run 30 yards to finish under the posts. Eight minutes after the break, Fijian superstar lock Leone Nakarawa hit back. The Glasgow battering ram started the break himself with a short lineout and finished the move after darts from Mark Bennett and Stuart Hogg were stopped short of the line. MacGinty kicked a second penalty on 50 minutes, only for Weir to return the favour minutes later as Eoin McKeon was penalised for holding on at the breakdown. With 20 minutes to go Connacht only led by two but the home side were dominant and soon extended their advantage through another MacGinty three-pointer after a period of sustained pressure in the Glasgow half. Try as the champions might to get back into the game, the Connacht defence stood firm and held on to win by five points, setting up a meeting with Leinster at BT Murrayfield in the final. THE AFTERMATH Connacht had reached their maiden Championship final with a pulsating effort in the semi-final but better was yet to come a week later against Leinster. On the biggest day in their long history, Connacht raced out of the blocks to lead 15-0 at the break through Tiernan O’Halloran and Adeolokun. Matt Healy added a third in the second half as the Galway-based province went on to win 20-10 – heady days of which a win this weekend would go a long way in helping them get back to.
