Sportsfile photographer Steven McCarthy has picked up the grand prize for professional photographers in the PDN ‘The Shot’ Photography contest 2014. The winning photograph was taken in November 2012 at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow during Leinster's 6-0 victory over the Glasgow Warriors and, as you can see from the shot, it wasn't exactly an ideal night for beautiful rugby.
Two Ian Madigan kicks that night allowed Leinster to grab victory but speaking about the game and the conditions which led to the shot, McCarthy remembers a night that wasn't wouldn't have lived long in the memory had it not been for the award winning picture.
The skies opened up at half-time and the rain was torrential for the rest of the game.
Leinster crossed the half way line twice I reckon. They earned a penalty with one of those attacks, and Ian Madigan kicked for the posts, so again there was little by way of action to capture.
It was the lowest scoring game of rugby I was ever at. The second half was really poor for action. I was really struggling, until I noticed a scrum was awarded just inside the Leinster half.
In Scotstoun the light is quite patchy and there is a huge fall off from the middle of the pitch to the sides, which gives nice clean black backgrounds. The floodlights were lighting up the heavy rain that was falling on the scrum, and as soon as the ball was thrown in I knew I had something really nice.
