Glasgow pull off dramatic win over Leinster
Glasgow 23 Leinster 19
Sean Lineen’s Glasgow young guns pulled off a dramatic Magners League victory over a powerful Leinster outfit, with growing confidence and a memorable climax resulting in a home win.
A feisty first half opened quietly enough with Fergus McFadden and Ruaridh Jackson exchanging penalties in the opening five minutes but jittery Glasgow hands let Dominic Ryan come very close after he had hacked to the home line.
Ryan was denied again a minute later when Jamie Heaslip put him through the hole, the pass adjudged forward but McFadden nudged the scoreboard forward with his second penalty.
Yet it was third time lucky for Ryan when Heaslip snaffled a Fergus Thomson overthrow and put the flanker galloping in from 40 metres.
McFadden missed the kick and Glasgow came close a minute later when Jackson’s hoist had Luke Fitzgerald in trouble – but from the penalty five metres out Bernie Stortoni’s quick tap was easily snuffed out.
With six minutes of the half to go, Glasgow again lost their own throw and the hack on led to an extraordinary spell of football ping-pong by the home side behind their own line – until Isaac Boss put them out of their misery, getting a hand on the ball for the softest of tries.
Glasgow piled in for the remaining five minutes but bursts by Richie Gray and Graeme Morrison were easily soaked up by the Leinster defence to take the visitors in 16-6 ahead.
Glasgow came out all guns blazing in the second half and Jackson pulled the margin back with a penalty – and the confidence started to grow as the half went on.
First, DTH van der Merwe crashed over in the corner and Duncan Weir, on for Jackson, slotted the equalising conversion.
Only desperate defence kept the rampaging Gray and Richie Vernon out but the pressure told, Glasgow went through the phases and set up Weir for the drop goal which took the home side ahead for the first time in the game.
Isa Nacewa got on the board with a penalty six minutes from time to level the scores but Glasgow were not to be denied and after Leinster offended at the lineout Weir made no mistake from 30 metres.
With the last kick of the game Nacewa’s attempted drop drifted wide for Glasgow - but they opened their campaign with a notable win nevertheless.
