Draw keeps Warriors fighting
Glasgow kept alive their Heineken Cup quarter-final hopes with a 13-13 draw at Montpellier.
Last Updated: 17/12/11 6:53pm
Rory Lamont scored Glasgow's only try as they kept alive their Heineken Cup quarter-final hopes with a 13-13 draw at Montpellier.
The 29-year-old, who has been capped 26 times by Scotland, crossed for the Warriors' second-half try in only his second game back in Scottish rugby after the frustration of his recent spell in France with Toulon.
Replacement scrum-half Benoit Paillaugue, who stepped up for a late penalty instead of Francois Trinh-duc, sliced the last kick of the game and blew the chance to give Montpellier victory.
The Warriors deserved to share the spoils of this clash against a Montpellier side who have now drawn two of their home games in this season's Heineken Cup campaign.
The Scots side had recorded an impressive 20-15 home victory over the French side last weekend to put them in second place in their pool behind reigning champions Leinster.
Montpellier, who reached last season's Top 14 final in France, were out of the tournament before this game because they had failed to record a single victory in the pool.
The visitors survived an early onslaught from their hosts in front of a partisan crowd at the Stade Yves de Manoir, but fly-half Ruaridh Jackson missed an early penalty to put the Warriors ahead.
Montpellier's young outside half Lilian Perreaux, in the starting line-up ahead of France's fly-half at the World Cup, Trinh-duc, missed an early penalty to give the home side the lead.
Sweeping
But it was the hosts who finally got the scoreboard ticking over when wing Yoan Audrin finished off a sweeping attacking move with a try, which was converted by Perreaux, to give Montpellier a 7-0 lead just before half-time.
Glasgow finally got their first points after a superb attacking scrum saw them demolish the hosts set-piece and they were awarded a penalty in front of the posts and Jackson slotted over the three points.
Perreaux hit back immediately with a penalty for Montpellier to restore their seven-point lead as the French side started to dominate proceedings and added another penalty to stretch the home side's lead.
Glasgow then launched a rare attack in the second half which saw replacement fly-half Duncan Weir, who had replaced Jackson, held up just short of the Montpellier line.
But English referee Andrew Small ruled that the French side had done so illegally and replacement prop Maximiliano Bustos was shown the yellow card for a professional foul and the home side were down to 14 men.
Glasgow made their one-man advantage count when Chris Cusiter and Weir worked the blindside to put Scotland winger Rory Lamont in at the left corner for the Warriors' first try.
Weir converted to bring the Scottish side to within three points of their hosts and it was his penalty, after another superb scrum by the visitors, which secured the draw.
