TMO 3, Glaws 0
May - 2 tries
By Cherry Picker
March 2 2013
Looking for excuses is often not the right weay to conduct a match post-pertem, but Gloucester have every right to wonder why a television match official was needed to make three crucial decisions as they went down 31-25 in a tense derby at Bath.
Not for the first time in recent games, Glaws missed too many penalties, but they also finished second best in most of the game’s set pieces.
Conceding an early penalty try, decided by TMO Geoff Warren, and losing Darren Dawidiuk to a red card for an alleged tip tackle – again a TMO decision – really did tip the balance Bath’s way.
Having what looked like a good Freddie Burns try ruled out for an alleged forward pass merely rubbed salt in the wounds.
Coach Nigel Davies felt the red card was the real sickener and he told the Citizen: “I thought it was very harsh, it could have potentially been a yellow, but a red was very harsh.
“I think it certainly wasn’t a lift, his hand wasn’t above the horizontal, though the player’s feet went above his head.
“There were three huge calls there today, and they ultimately proved the difference.
“The try that we scored, I think that was perfectly fine, I didn’t see any reason to go to the TMO for that.
“And you can argue whether their penalty try could have been awarded, Charlie was in the act of making the tackle, he thought the guy had the ball – it’s a difficult one.
“But we had a big call last week which helped us, so you’ve got to take the rough with the smooth.
“More importantly the difference is we couldn’t control that game from set-piece.
“But the heart, guts and determination to stay in the game with 14 men for half an hour was fantastic once again.”
It was, but of course it’s the result that counts and 31-25 doesn’t make good reading for cherry and whites, especially at the Rec.
That penalty try was awarded when Charlie Sharples was ruled to have prevented a score with a tackle on on Tom Biggs without the ball, but Henry Trinder and Jonny May both scored tries before Kyle Eastmond crossed to give the home team a half-time lead.
Biggs scored a cracker to extend the lead, but May got his second and the 14 men made Bath battle to hold their lead to the end.
After the home shambles against the old rivals a month ago, though, at least Glaws made it close.