Danny Wilson blames costly mistakes on Glasgow’s loss to La Rochelle

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Danny Wilson believes Glasgow Warriors are to blame after losing Saturday’s Champions Cup clash to La Rochelle at Scotstoun.

Despite a 15-9 half-time lead, the home side fought back with Josh McKay’s converted try early in the second half to regain the lead and set themselves up well for the rest of the game.

La Rochelle’s response

But then the Warriors imploded, conceding 20 points in five minutes through tries from Pierre Bourgarit and Pierre Boudehent, who were both converted by Pierre Popelin, who also netted a few penalties.

Two late tries from substitute Ollie Smith weren’t enough to turn the tide for Glasgow and they now have to rely on the Ospreys and Montpellier who didn’t get what they need in their final games on Sunday, against Sale and Exeter respectively, if they want to progress. until the last 16.

And while acknowledging his players defended well for most of the game, Wilson believes they paid a heavy price for lapses in concentration at key moments.

“When you play against European heavyweights, you can’t give them those kinds of error opportunities, and that’s what happened tonight,” he said.

“We gave them too many weak points. We scored 30 points and we lost at home and that’s disappointing.

“We still have a lifeline in this competition. We wanted it to be in our hands, we honestly thought we could win today at home where we have a very good record, but that was not the case.

“They were a good team we were playing against – a great physical team – and maybe some of the mistakes you make in other games won’t come out of you here.

“This team will score against you if you give them half a chance. That’s why they are where they are and reached the European final last year.

Wilson took little solace from his side as he fought back, with two late tries through substitute full-back Smith making for a respectable final scoreline.

“The spirit should be a no-brainer for us,” he said. “The boys came out in the second half and scored some great tries, but in the end we came a bit short. We gifted the opposition too much.

The story continues

“I think the breakdown was a problem for us. We got heckled and turned around several times. And I thought our choice of tackles was poor at times.

“We went quite high against a team that can go up the pitch and gain momentum and we got stuck on the wrong side of the pitch, especially in the first half.

“We’ll see what happens tomorrow and we’ll see what it means for us in the future.”

Dan McFarland praises Ulster’s attacking bravery against Clermont

Meanwhile, Ulster boss Dan McFarland has been full of praise for his side’s bravery in attack and named it a key factor in their Champions Cup win over Clermont in Belfast .

The Irish Province lead was reduced dramatically from 34-12 to 34-31 after a late win at Clermont. Nonetheless, the result earned Ulster second place in their group after already qualifying for the last 16.

Finishing second in Pool A, Ulster could find themselves facing defending champions Toulouse should the French side finish seventh in Pool B.

The article Champions Cup: Danny Wilson blames costly mistakes for Glasgow loss to La Rochelle appeared first on Planetrugby.com.

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