Munster cut down as Glasgow Warriors get early grip
Munster’s poor form on the road continued last night at Scotstoun where Johann van Graan’s team came up against a Glasgow warriors side that used the artificial pitch to play a high tempo game that effectively secured them victory by half time.
Warriors led 22-0 at the break by playing at such a ferocious pace both in attack and defence that Munster were forced into repeated errors and it was only in the second half when Glasgow began to run out of steam that the visitors showed their attacking potential.
Much of their second-half improvement was very much down to the arrival on the field of Joey Carberry who replaced an error-prone JJ Hanrahan, whose dropped pass behind his own line , resulting in a try for Glasgow effectively killed any hopes Munster had of a revival.
In truth it would be harsh to blame Hanrahan. The outside half was operating being a pack which in the first half was out-gunned at the break down and which was half a yard slower than their Glasgow opponents.
Munster were unfortunate to lose key players to injury before the break first the retiral of skipper and second row Billy Holland and then the loss of scrum half Neil Cronin.
Strangely Van grana did not give debutant Jaco tauten game time until the 64th minute. The other player earning his first Munster cap was Tadhg Beirne, the former Scarlets favourite, who played the whole of the second half.
After an intense opening period it was Glasgow who had the first chance of points with a penalty kick at goal, only for Peter Horne’s attempt to drift wide. But when a second chance presented itself Horne made no mistake.
The warriors’ points trawl continued with a try by flanker Callum Gibbons from a series of moves that all began after Munster had turned over ball at the contact area and which ended with Adam Hastings delivering a pass to the touchline-patrolling Gibbons. Horne, however, was unable to make the score a seven pointer.
With warriors dominating possession and territory it was inevitable that another score would follow. This time the platform was a penalty kick to the corner, then a driving maul that triggered an endless pounding of the Munster line. But it was a clever grubber kick by outside half Adam Hastings that delivered the coup de grace, the ball sitting up well for Stuart Hogg to touch down in the corner, the Scotland and Lions full back adding the conversion points to his own score.
Munster then conceded a third try and one which they will not want to watch at Monday’s video session, JJ Hanrahan fumbling a pass in the visitors’ goal area allowing back row Adam Ashe to pounce for the score. Hogg again converted to give his side a 22-0 lead at the break.
The visitors’ prospects perked up after the break with a penalty goal by Hanrahan, the out half’s final contribution before being replaced by Joey Carberry. Almost immediately Carberry began to pull the strings allowing Munster’s backs, anonymous in the first half, to show their paces on the plastic pitch.
Munster had a chance to add a second score when they repeatedly drove at the Glasgow line but a spilled pass ruined a promising situation. Finally their perseverance paid off when from a series of attacks replacement hooker Rhys Marshall found a hole in the Glasgow defence to crash over for his side’s first try, quickly and easily converted by Carberry.
From the restart Munster gave away a penalty to give Glasgow the twin luxury of a breather and a kick at goal, the latter, through Hogg providing Warriors with a three pointer.
Then from a fortuitous piece of play replacement Niko Matawalu , who replaced Staurt Hogg, followed up his own deep kick. Munster managed to get a few defenders back but from the ensuing ruck Glasgow’s second row Johnny Gray appeared to have scored under posts. Referee Ben Whitehouse, however penalised Glasgow for an earlier infringement denying the victors their bonus point try.
Tries Gibbins, Hogg, Ashe Cons Hogg ( 2) Pens P Horne, Hogg
Try Marshall Cons Carberry Pen Hanrahan
S Hogg (N Matawalu 73); T Seymour, N Grigg, P Horne, DTH van der Merwe; A Hastings (A Dunbar 63), G Horne (A Price 43 ); O Kebble (J Bhatti 59 ), F Brown (G Turner 50 ), Z Fagerson (D Rae ); R Harley, J Gray; R Wilson (M Fagerson 70), C Gibbins, A Ashe (S Cummings 54).
M Haley; D Sweetnam, S Arnold, R Scannell (J Taute 64), S Daly; JJ Hanrahan (J Carberry 43), N Cronin (D Williams 34); D Kilcoyne (J Cronin 55), M Sherry (R Marshall 48), J Ryan (S Archer 40), J Kleyn, B Holland (capt) (F Wicherley 25) D O’Callaghan (T Beirne 40), T O’Donnell, A Botha.
B Whitehouse (Wales)
