Glasgow Warriors take step in right direction but pay price when Sharks World Cup winners enter fray

Ali Price of Glasgow Warriors during the United Rugby Championship match between Cell C Sharks and Glasgow Warriors at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on October 15, 2022 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Steve Haag - Gallo Images/Getty Images)

This loss stretches the team’s winless run on the road to nine league games, and it was the heaviest of the three away defeats they have suffered so far in this United Rugby Championship season.

However, the Sharks are a much better side than Benetton (who they lost 33-11 to in round one) and the Ospreys (who they lost 32-17 to in round three), so stand-in head coach Nigel Carolan believes his team will draw confidence from the overall performance ahead of taking on the Lions in Johannesburg next Saturday.

“We’re probably more disappointed with the first half than the second half because we had a plan to move them around and I think that only came to light in the 39th minute when we started to ask questions,” he said.

“I thought we kicked too much in that first half when we wanted to ask questions of them with ball in hand,” he added. “We knew that there was going to be onslaught when the Sharks emptied their bench of all those internationals, and we didn’t have a cushion which we could protect.

“I definitely think it was a step in the right direction in terms of that away form everyone is talking about.

“I thought the mind-set was right, I thought the energy was right, but I just thought the way we managed the game tactically in the first half was just a little bit off because we went away from the strategy.

“The last 30 minutes might look like a capitulation but that’s going to come on the back of having so much of the game and not getting scores in the bank.

“Then we started losing players to injury and shifting guys around, and it is really hard to keep any momentum against a top-class team like the Sharks in that situation.

Warriors fell behind to a Boeta Chamberlain penalty, but bounced right back to take the lead when Tom Gordon rampaged home from 40-yards.

Chamberlain struck again with another penalty and then Anthony Volmink streaked in after a sweeping backline move to give the hosts a half-time lead.

Warriors started the second half brightly with Gordon claiming his second try from a rare successful line-out drive, but the game swung away from them when Sharks cleared their bench, with Springbok captain Siya Kolisi along with fellow World Cup winners Makzole Mapimpi and Bongi Mbonambi taking the field for the first time this season.

Volmink claimed his second, then Mbonambi, Aphelele Fassi and Werner Kok all crossed for the Sharks to secure a comfortable bonus-point win.

It is still not clear whether head coach Franco Smith’s visa will have been approved by then allowing him to fly out to join the squad. If not, then Carolan – principally the team’s attack coach – will continue to deputise.

Winger Sebastian Cancelliere and No 8 Matt Fagerson were late call-offs to this game due to mild sickness but are expected to come back into the frame to face the Lions.

Meanwhile, several players suffered head injuries so will have to go through the mandatory return to play protocols.