Bath and Glasgow produce a classic at the Rec

Glasgow travelled to the Recreation Ground on Sunday to take on Bath in the Heineken Cup, with very few having anticipated the type of match that was to be on display.

Scoring five tries away from home, Glasgow came oh so close to winning as a late interception went wrong, but if it had come off, would have resulted in a famous victory.

Lying second in the Magners League, Glasgow were actually missing their first choice halfbacks, but the youth stepped up and fared excellently against the experience of Bath.

The 35-31 win to Bath in the end though sets up a mouth watering return meeting between the two sides in Glasgow, with Bath coach Steve Meehan well aware of the dangers that the Scottish side posses, with his teams defence having to be spot on.

Defence is a reflection of motivation and attitude, Meehan said. We need to do some work on that. To get a result there, our attitude will have to be spot on. The game goes to the final bell, sometimes beyond that.

“At 35-19 ahead, we had the game under control, but it goes until the final bell, which is a question for the players individually and collectively. Holes opened up in our defence because guys were lazy.

“If we are going to go through, then we need to win in Glasgow next weekend. We need to continue nipping at Toulouse’s heels.”

Glasgow coach Sean Lineen promised no let-up next Sunday. Perhaps in the past Scottish teams have just been happy to compete, but these boys are a team of winners, he said.

“We are very frustrated. The guys had a lot of belief coming down here. They are an exceptional bunch of players, and they want to win.

“It would have been fantastic to get a result here, but ultimately we need to tighten our defence and we’ve got to learn when to play – and when not to play.