Glasgow’s Pete Horne tackles Mike Haley of Munster as the Limerick club chase victory
didn’t take long for the Thomond Park atmosphere to warm up significantly when Rory Hughes and Munster skipper Peter O’Mahoney had a coming-together in centre field which almost broke in to a full-blown rammy as team-mates joined in.
Munster were quickly on the advance. From rolling maul down the left, Munster came inside. Rory Scannell linked to JJ Hanrahan who found Keith Earls, on the loop, bursting into the line and make significant yards into Glasgow territory.
While they repelled that onslaught, Munster crabbed across field until James Cronin, their loose head, made ground before being shunted over for the score. Hanrahan couldn’t miss for 7-0.
Glasgow themselves were more productive when they ran. After a quick Munster tap, Warriors produced a magnificent counterattack. Matt Fagerson set off the move that saw Hughes connect with Pete Horne, who then launched his brother George on a foot race, which the Warriors scrum-half won.
Out of the equation by now, however, was centre Sam Johnson. The centre limped off silently.
Glasgow squandered a chance to take the lead, Horne’s mid-range penalty again drifting wide but, five minutes from the interval, George Horne scored a second try. Sammy Arnold was a mile offside as Glasgow took possession, but the gap he left was exploited by first Ruaridh Jackson, then Nick Grigg, who angled his run to give the Horne the chance to run in the try. His sibling did the afters.
Grigg had another break, this time as Scannell tore off the line, but the Munster defence was sound. And it needed to be as Grigg and Jackson probed. The full-back was held short, but Chris Cloete was yellow-carded for taking Adam Ashe out.
Glasgow were unrelenting and, when Munster’s seven-man scrum disintegrated, Matt Fagerson gathered and rammed his way through the fringe cover to score.
Hanrahan belted over a penalty from inside the 22 to cut the deficit. However, Glasgow earned a fourth, bonus-point try via the Horne household, George chipped, Pete gather and touched down.
Alex Wooton scrambled in on the corner to make it 24-15, then Alby Mathewson somehow stretching every sinew, made the line, Hanrahan converting to trail 24-22.
With a minute to go, Glasgow had ball and men on halfway, happy to stay put. Then the referee’s whistle sounded with the clock on red. A Glasgow player isolated, a penalty to Munster. Scannell did the rest. Scorers, Munster – Tries: Cronin, Wooton, Mathewson. Pens: Hanrahan, Scannell. Cons: Hanrahan, Keatley.
Glasgow – Tries: G Horne 2, Fagerson, P Horne. Cons: P Horne, Thomson.
Munster: Haley; Sweetnam, Arnold (Wooton 38), R Scannell, Earls; Hanrahan (Keatley 60), Mathewson (N.Cronin 77); J.Cronin (Kilcoyne 45), N Scannell, Ryan (Archer 57); Kleyn (Wycherley 77), Holland; O’Mahony (capt), Cloete (Botha 60), Stander. Replacements: O’Byrne.
Glasgow Warriors: Jackson; Matawalu, Grigg, Johnson (McDowall 22), Hughes (Thomson 51); P Horne, G Horne; Kebble (Bhatti 40), Stewart (Bryce 75), Rae (Du Plessis 63), Harley (Peterson 74), Cummings, Ashe (Fusaro 63), Gibbins (capt), Fagerson. Replacements: Frisby.