Heineken Cup: Glasgow winger Tommy Seymour banned for Ulster clash

GLASGOW Warriors wing Tommy Seymour will miss tonight’s vital Heineken Cup clash at Scotstoun against Ulster after he was given a one-week suspension at a disciplinary hearing in Dublin yesterday afternoon. He is being punished for committing a dangerous ‘tip’ tackle on opposite number Vasily Artemyev during last Sunday’s defeat to Northampton Saints.

GLASGOW Warriors wing Tommy Seymour will miss tonight’s vital Heineken Cup clash at Scotstoun against Ulster after he was given a one-week suspension at a disciplinary hearing in Dublin yesterday afternoon. He is being punished for committing a dangerous ‘tip’ tackle on opposite number Vasily Artemyev during last Sunday’s defeat to Northampton Saints.

Glasgow were required by ERC rules to name their team for tonight’s match by midday yesterday, and as Seymour’s case had not yet been decided they had left him off the team sheet. However, they remained hopeful that the 24-year-old American would be given the all clear, in which case the line-up would have been reshuffled to accommodate him.

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As it is, South African-raised Byron McGuigan will make his Heineken Cup debut wearing the No 14 jersey for the Warriors in a match which they really must win if they are to retain a realistic chance of reaching the last eight for the first time in their history.

The loss of Seymour is an especially tough pill to swallow this week given the logjam of wingers at the club who are unavailable through injury.

Sean Lamont is the most recent casualty. He is facing a lengthy lay-off with a facial injury sustained against Northampton. He joins his brother Rory (who is still recovering from the broken leg he sustained during the Six Nations) and DTH van der Merwe (who isn’t due back until mid-November after damaging his hamstring) on the sidelines.

It is not only on the wing that the Warriors have injury problems. Chris Cusiter (shoulder) and Duncan Weir (knee), who were the club’s first choice half-back pairing at the start of the season and a good bet to fulfil the same role for Scotland during their Autumn Test series, are also missing for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, in the front-row, they are without international props Moray Low (knee), John Welsh (shoulder) and Ed Kalman (back), plus hooker Pat MacArthur (foot). Former All Black back-rower Angus McDonald and Scotland centre Graeme Morrison are also out with neck and knee injuries respectively.

“We’ve had a few injuries during the last couple of weeks which has certainly made things difficult in terms of selecting a XV and a bench, but you don’t want to use injuries as an excuse. They are part and parcel of rugby, and we feel we’ve got a good squad with guys capable of doing well – so we’re just getting on with it,” said assistant coach Matt Taylor at yesterday’s team announcement.

“Injuries represent an opportunity for the next man to come in and stake his claim. Rugby teams change all the time, every time we go on the park we expect guys to have to change their positions and their role within the team – it is just part of your week,” he added.

Glasgow squandered a 15-point lead against the Saints in their last outing and Taylor is quick to recognise that such prolificacy cannot be repeated against Ulster this week. With so many senior players missing the Warriors are going to have to rely heavily on players who are just beginning to establish themselves at this level – and the key will be maintaining focus for the full 80 minutes against one of the most efficient and experienced sides in the competition.

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“As a group, we were really disappointed with that period just before and after half-time – that was probably where the game was won and lost. We have certainly reviewed that part of the performance and the mistakes which were made then. We were really tough on ourselves,” he explained.

“After 35 minutes we had them on the ropes and we needed to up it, but we relaxed a tiny bit for the first try when we didn’t get set quick enough, and then the second try was good play for them, and that swung the game.

“As a defensive coach I was bitterly disappointed because I think we have done a pretty good job in that area during the last couple of weeks.

“If you look at the stats in the Rabo, we’re second in terms of points conceded and we are the best tacklers in terms of accuracy, so we have done a lot of good things, and to let them in for two soft tries is really disappointing. The week before, when we were down in Cardiff, we didn’t let them score once.” Taylor is in no doubt as to the size of the task his team faces tonight, and has urged his team to start the game as they did against Northampton, but this time up the ante as half-time approaches.

“We certainly played with a lot of speed during that first half hour. If you play with that quick ball mentality you are going to put teams under pressure. Northampton, as a rule, have a lot of people in their defensive line but they don’t try to compete as hard at the breakdown so we felt we could hold onto the ball for long periods of time, which we did,” he said.

“We need to take that into this week’s game, which is going to be very similar. In attack we’ve got to play with a lot of speed and continuity, but unlike last week we have got to make sure that we execute in attack and defence for the full 80 minutes.”