The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Opening half is a breeze as Warriors keep perfect start
Home side makes wind count before half-time
GLASGOW 25 MUNSTER 10
Glasgow Warriors rode the Scotstoun breeze to a 22 point lead at half-time and held on against it with some smothering defence to beat Munster and start their Guinness PRO14 season with two wins from two.
With Adam Hastings playing a major role at play maker with two assists, the Warriors scored three first half tries from Callum Gibbins, Stuart Hogg and Adam Ashe and allowed Munster barely a touch inside their half.
The second half brought only a sole penalty strike from Hogg with six minutes to go, but plenty of commitment and aggression in defence held the Irishmen at bay at the cost of just a penalty and a try.
It was a much more coherent performance than the opening weekend at Connacht, with Hastings turning in a man-of-the-match performance, just edging Ashe, who brought a real focus with his ball-carrying and turnover ability before leaving injured.
The scrum and maul were again hugely effective, with a now fully-fit Oli Kebble destructive against an experienced Munster front row.
It means Glasgow head to South Africa for two games with nine points under their belts, looking more and more like the side that dominated the first half of the last PRO14 season.
With the customary Scotstoun windtunnel at their backs, the Warriors flexed their muscles to build an impressive lead in the first half.
Munster managed two set-pieces in the Glasgow half for the first 40, surrendered a couple of scrum penalties and had enormous difficulty stopping the Warriors’ new favourite toy, their well-drilled line-out maul.
Peter Horne could even afford to miss the first of two penalty chances, but on 23 minutes Hastings was involved three different times in a succession of phases that ended with Callum Gibbins sliding over in the corner for an unconverted try.
The young stand-off then produced the second try when, after a series of power drives had Munster hanging on, his deft grubber in behind found Stuart Hogg quickest to the ball for the second score.
Hogg converted himself and added the extras to a gift just before half-time, JJ Hanrahan fumbling a pass on his own line as he shaped for a clearance kick and the outstanding Ashe pounced for the score as Glasgow reached the break 22-0 ahead.
Hanrahan did not return for the second half and replacement Joey Carbery put Munster on the scoreboard with a simple penalty and the Irishmen were, predictably, much more effective with the wind at their backs.
The Warriors were forced into a huge defensive stand in the shadow of their own posts until Munster lock Fineen Wycherley fumbled and then Warriors replacement hooker George Turner made a key turnover of Tadhg Beirne when the big lock burst through.
The Warriors finally wilted for a try from replacement hooker Rhys Marshall with 10 minutes left but smart work by Ali Price at the base of a scrum won a penalty, which Hogg kicked for some breathing space.
The Warriors thought they had a bonus point after a thrilling breakout by Niko Matawalu, on for a limping Hogg, but the referee spotted an illegal steal before Peter Horne went in, but a solid victory over one of their conference rivals was reward enough.