PRO14: ‘Matas’ shine in wins for Glasgow and Edinburgh

The magical skill and power of Fijian players was on display last night as Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh both picked up valuable bonus points wins against Ospreys and Scarlets respectively.

Fijian Niko Matawalu came on as an early replacement to score a stunning hat-trick for Glasgow and inspire a bonus-point victory over Ospreys.

Wing Matawalu replaced Ruaridh Jackson after three minutes and crossed for three tries as Warriors extended their Pro14 Conference A lead to nine points.

Edinburgh climbed to third in Pro14 Conference B after an entertaining bonus-point win over Scarlets.

Bill Mata and Tom Brown – twice – scored first-half tries for the hosts but Scarlets struck through Morgan Williams and Paul Asquith to trail by just three points at the break.

Ospreys v Glasgow Warriors

Centre Nick Grigg was rewarded for his outstanding performance with a try.

It was a sixth win in eight Pro14 games for Glasgow while Ospreys suffered a first home league defeat of the season.

As well as scoring four tries, complemented by the boot of the impressive Brandon Thomson, Glasgow’s dynamic defence ensured Ospreys only crossed the visitors’ line twice.

Both sides were without their international contingent at the Liberty Stadium with Wales and Scotland meeting in Cardiff on Saturday.

Flowing Glasgow flex their muscles

Lock Scott Cummings made an early storming break, and after Ospreys had transgressed, Thomson slotted over the penalty to put Dave Rennie’s team ahead.

The home side immediately responded with a try from captain Cracknell after incisive bursts from Dirksen, full-back Dan Evans and number eight Rob McCusker. Sam Davies converted.

Glasgow retaliated with their own flowing score, instigated by Rory Hughes before Canada wing DTH van der Merwe produced an innovative off-load to Matawalu, who finished. Thomson added the extras.

The Fijian scored his second minutes later, created by Grigg’s brilliant break and perfectly-timed pass.

Davies reduced the deficit with a penalty and kept turning Glasgow’s defence with some probing kicks. The Ospreys stand-off missed a kick at goal on the stroke of half-time as Glasgow led 17-10.

Grigg rewarded for dazzling display

A sizzling run from the outstanding Dirksen laid the foundations for Davies to slot over his second penalty but Glasgow retaliated with a third try after Matawalu dived onto a Thomson chip-kick.

And Grigg, producing another dazzling display after his fine performance in last week’s loss at Munster, got the bonus-point score. The New Zealand-born centre finished off a flowing set-piece move orchestrated by clinical breaks from Van der Merwe and Stafford McDowall.

Wales back James Hook came on as a second-half replacement but had to leave the field himself after suffering a head injury.

Ospreys were not fazed by the reshuffle with Dirksen latching on to a speculative Cory Allen kick and sprinted over to score.

Davies converted but Allen Clarke’s men could not manage a losing bonus point despite a late rally.

‘We had a wall in front of them’ – reaction

Ospreys head coach Allen Clarke told BBC Radio Wales: “You have to admire Glasgow, they took their opportunities. We had our own but we did not capitalise the way they did.

“They are about two years ahead of us in terms of development and their depth, and they are very well-coached.

“I thought we caused them problems but we know where we are in our journey, now the boys will get a well-deserved week off.”

Glasgow Warriors head coach Dave Rennie said: “The game felt more secure than the result shows. I think we had more punch in attack and defensively we had a wall in front of them for the majority of the game.

“We got a lot right and I thought we were pretty clinical. If we held on to a little bit more ball we could have hurt them even more.

“We have some good kids coming through and we are very happy to get five weeks after last week’s disappointment.”

Ospreys: Evans; Dirksen, Allen, Thomas-Wheeler, Giles; S Davies, Habberfield; R Jones, Otten, Fia, Ashley, King, Cracknell (capt), W Jones, McCusker.

Replacements: Parry, G Thomas, Botha, Ratti, Volpi, Aubrey, Hook, T Williams.

Glasgow Warriors: Jackson; Van der Merwe, Grigg, McDowall, Hughes; Thomson, Frisby; Kebble, Stewart, Rae, Harley, Cummings, Ashe, Gibbins (capt), Tameilau.

Replacements: Stewart, Bhatti, Nicol, McDonald, Smith, Flockhart, Kelly, Matawalu.

Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)

Tough judges: Kieran Barry (IRFU), Craig Evans (WRU)

TMO: Jon Mason (WRU)

Edinburgh v Scarlets

Johnny McNicholl briefly gave Scarlets the lead after Simon Hickey was sin-binned in the second half.

But Pierre Schoeman burrowed over for Edinburgh’s fourth try, and Mata’s clever late second sealed the victory.

Mountain Mata Edinburgh’s fulcrum

Both teams were heavily depleted by injuries and international call-ups, with Edinburgh shorn of 22 players.

With so many out, the onus was on those left behind to deliver. Ally Miller, a 22-year-old debutant on the open-side flank, 20 and 21-year-old locks Jamie Hodgson and Callum Hunter-Hill all stepped up.

And fortunately for Richard Cockerill, he could still call upon Mata, his colossus and the focal point for so much of Edinburgh’s play. The monstrous Fijian added another 24 carries – and 84m – to his remarkable league-best haul of 100.

The behemoth got Edinburgh going in the eighth minute when he rumbled and spun over from a line-out drive, Hickey converting.

With Scarlets’ first attack, they drew level. Kieron Fonotia swerved past Hickey and a smart off-load released Williams, who beat Brown to score. Dan Jones slotted the conversion.

In between the tries, Scotland call-up Blade Thomson was carried from the field after his head struck the knee of Edinburgh lock Callum Hunter-Hill. It looked like the big New Zealander had been knocked out. A blow for Scarlets and for Gregor Townsend, the Scotland head coach.

When the lengthy delay ended, Edinburgh revved again. They thundered into rucks, blasting Scarlets jackalers off the ball, but had to rattle through a mountain of phases to breach the whitewash.

They blew one opportunity when Pyrgos forced a pass, but Mata, as ever, was cannier on the ball. The titan punctured the line, was hauled down a metre or so short, and sent a cleverly delayed off-load out to Brown who scurried in. Hickey’s conversion attempt was wide.

Brown, the winger playing just his second competitive game of 2018, went over again with 29 minutes gone after another relentless period of attack and a beautiful floated ball from Pyrgos. Hickey, once more, was off-target from wide on the right.

With a minute of the half remaining, a dull Edinburgh infringement allowed Scarlets to mount their second serious attack and score their second try. A sumptuous Jones grubber was perfectly weighted for the searing Asquith to gather and score, the fly-half converting to make it 17-14.

Edinburgh had been utterly dominant, but the Scarlets were ruthless. The hosts played with a vicious tempo to their attack, earned over 70% of the possession and territory, scored three tries, yet led by only three at the break. A pitiful and maddening return for their supremacy.

Edinburgh falter but recover well

They suffered again after the interval, Scarlets powering into the home 22 and pinning Edinburgh there for an age. Raid followed raid. Penalty followed penalty. At the third successive Edinburgh transgression, Hickey was sent to the bin. Scarlets opted for a scrummage and McNicholl stepped Juan Pablo Socino to race home. Jones converted and the visitors led for the first time.

The Edinburgh response was good, particularly since it came while reduced in number. They kicked a penalty to the corner, and after a few drives, Schoeman blasted over for the bonus-point score. Socino converted.

The contest ebbed and flowed in the final quarter as both teams sought a knockout blow. Error followed infringement. Ross Ford, the 34-year-old Scotland hooker, made a sensational cover tackle on Fonotia as the centre threatened to break clear up the left flank.

It was Edinburgh who prevailed. In the final five minutes, the forwards won a penalty, Hickey booted them into the corner, and Simon Gardiner was binned for illegally infiltrating the maul. A second line-out drive was suspiciously halted short when heading for the line at a rate of knots. But Mata’s innovative feint-and-leap finish put the game to bed. Hickey converted and the Scarlets left with nothing.

Edinburgh: Fife; Brown, Johnstone, Dean, Van der Merwe; Hickey, Pyrgos (capt); Schoeman, Ford, McCallum, Hodgson, Hunter-Hill, Hamilton, Miller, Mata.

Replacements: Cherry, Sutherland, Ceccarelli, Atkinson, Wynne, Fowles, Baggott; Socino.

Scarlets: McNicholl; Nicholas, Fonotia, Asquith, Williams; Jones, Hidalgo-Clyne; Price, Elias, Kruger, Cummins, Bulbring, Thomson, Macleod, Boyde (capt).

Replacements: Hughes, Evans, Gardiner, Price, Kennedy, Hardy, Blommetjies, Cassiem.

bbc