MATCH SUMMARY - Glasgow warriors 19-19 bath rugby
Bath Rugby will have to wait until Saturday evening to find out whether they have progressed in the EPCR Challenge Cup following a 19-19 draw against Glasgow Warriors.
In a frosty, hard-fought battle, the Blue, Black and White were the first team to stop Glasgow from winning at Scotstoun for 15 months, but had to settle for a draw despite a number of opportunities to perhaps win the contest.
Chris Cloete's first try for the club and Piers Francis' boot saw Bath go into half-time a point behind Warriors whose points came from converted Matt Fagerson and Sione Valianu tries.
Sebastian Cancelliere extended the hosts' lead but Orlando Bailey and Ben Spencer kicked penalties to level the match at 19-apiece.
With the clock in the red, Glasgow had a chance to clinch victory, however Duncan Weir's penalty faded to the right and the match ended even.
Bath, who currently sit sixth in Pool A, will have to wait until the conclusion of Newcastle Falcons and Brive's matches on Saturday to determine whether they have qualified for the Round of 16.
TEAM NEWS
Opting for a different combination for a game just five days from their last outing, Johann van Graan made seven changes to his side to take on Glasgow Warriors. South African's Juan Schoeman and Johannes Jonker lined up in the front row, captained by Tom Dunn at hooker.
With Spencer on the bench, Louis Schreuder pulled strings at scrum-half, with Francis completing the half-back pairing.
Bailey donned the 15 jersey at full-back, a switch from his usual fly-half position, with Joe Cokanasiga and Max Ojomoh on each wing.
Off the back of his Scotland call-up, Cameron Redpath featured at centre. Glasgow's pack also featured Scottish internationals of their own with the likes of Ali Price, Fagerson and Jamie Bhatti all starting.
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 13 Sebastian Cancelli, 13 Sione Tuipuloti, 12 Huw Jones, 11 Kyle Steyn (c), 10 Tom Jordan, 9 Ali Price; 1 Jamie Bhatti, 2 Johnny Matthew, 3 Lucio Sordoni, 4 Alex Samuel, 5 Richie Gray, 6 Euan Ferrie, 7 Sione Vailanu, 8 Matt Fagerson
Replacements: 16 George Turner, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Lewis Bean, 21 Thomas Gordon, 22 George Horne, 23 Duncan Weir
Bath Rugby: 15 Orlando Bailey, 14 Max Ojomoh, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Cameron Redpath, 11 Joe Cokanasiga, 10 Piers Francis, 9 Louis Schreuder; 1 Juan Schoeman, 2 Tom Dunn ©, 3 Johannes Jonker, 4 Will Spencer, 5 Fergus Lee-Warner, 6 Ted Hill, 7 Chris Cloete, 8 Miles Reid
Impact players: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Valeriy Morozov, 18 D’Arcy Rae, 19 Tom Ellis, 20 Richard de Carpentier, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Matt Gallagher, Jonathan Joseph
FIRST HALF
Eager to get themselves into the knock-out stages of the Challenge Cup, Bath got off to a strong start and pitched down in the Warriors half for the opening five minutes.
A knock-on, and a successive free kick from the scrum gave Piers Francis his first shot at goal for Bath's first points.
In a quick turn of events, Scottish international Matt Fagerson managed to slip through the defenders, making a clean run for the line to get Warriors the first try of the game.
However, another infringement from the hosts gave Francis another shot at goal to close the gap to one point.
Defending multiple attempts at breaking into the Bath 22, Warriors got their second score from a maul driven from five-metres out through Vailanu, with Tom Jordan coverting taking the score to 14-6.
Showing his skills in the midfield, Redpath hit a superb line to draw in the Warriors defence. Capitalising on the move, Cloete found himself over the whitewash for his first try in Blue, Black and White, converted by Francis's boot.
Earning themselves a crucial penalty just outside their own 22 before the half-time whistle, Bath clear their lines to head into the sheds just one point behind.
second half
In a difficult opening few minutes, Bath were hit with a yellow card after Francis dealt a high tackle on Sione Tuipulotu, taking them down to 14 men.
Using their man advantage, the hosts were given their third try, converted by Jordan. However the TMO had other ideas after spotting Glasgow dropping the ball over the try line for the ref to come back for a goal line drop-out.
Managing to give it a second crack, Glasgow sent the ball into open space for wing Cancelliere to slide over for what was definitely the Warriors' third.
With Bath back up to 15 men, a fresh pair of props and the game all to play for, Glasgow gave Bailey the chance to nudge three points on the board after not releasing in the tackle, sitting the score at 19-16.
Emptying the bench onto the field, Bath had a big final five minutes to play. Gifted a penalty, captain Spencer showed what he can do from the tee to bring Bath level with the hosts, much to the delight of the travelling fans.
With Tom Ellis also taking a spot in the sin bin, Glasgow had one last chance to take the win but Weir faded the ball wide of the posts to see both teams take home two points for the draw. Bath also upset Glasgow's 15-month streak of winning at home.
Bath's chances at a European qualification will be determined after the weekend's Challenge Cup fixtures have been played.
