Injury worry for O’Connell as JJ’s magic puts Munster top

O’Connell failed to survive the pre-game warm-up, having suffered a calf strain. No details of the extent of the injury were immediately available but it could put the Ireland captaincy candidate in doubt for the autumn internationals.

The night belonged to Hanrahan, getting a first start at fly-half in three weeks with first-choice Ian Keatley given the night off. And the Kerryman made the most of his opportunity, scoring all 13 points, the undoubted highlight being the 46th-minute try.

Hanrahan paraded an array of tricks, selling a show and go to baffle the Glasgow defenders and producing a great hand-off before darting around the outside to sprint over in the corner for what would prove to be the decisive score.

Aside from O’Connell’s injury, Munster’s preparations had already been unsettled when another Ireland squad member, Keith Earls, failed to make the trip having, in Munster’s words, “irritated” a knee tendon in training. Earls was replaced at outside centre by Casey Laulala, whose elevation from the bench saw Cian Bohane named in the replacements.

Glasgow were also forced into a late change with wing Tommy Sweeney crying off and both sides seemed to suffer from the disruptions during a distinctly unenthralling opening half pockmarked by handling errors from the hosts and difficulties at the breakdown from Munster.

Penney’s side were penalised several times in the first half, Glasgow fly-half Duncan Weir slotting the first points of the night in just the second minute, then striking another against a post. Hanrahan levelled the scores in the 20th minute with a monster kick from the halfway line after lineout indiscipline from the Glasgow forwards only for Munster to commit the cardinal sin of conceding a penalty immediately after, Weir needing little encouragement to grab the gift and push his side back in front at 6-3.

That’s the way it stayed until half-time, referee Ian Davies ending an opening period he had disrupted with numerous lectures to the front rows, Glasgow just shading the scrum battle.

Gregor Townsend’s side were worth a bigger lead were not for their handling errors and those continued into the second half.

Munster were much brighter after the break and they punished Glasgow for their profligacy, getting their first period of real territory in the opening minutes and rewarded in style with Hanrahan’s delightful try in the corner, though goodness knows why the referee needed to consult the TMO for its legality.

Hanrahan added the conversion and another penalty moments later and suddenly there was some daylight between the sides, Munster leading 13-6 after 46 minutes.

There was still work to do, though, and the visitors were not helped, first by an injury to wing Andrew Conway and then by James Cronin’s killing the ball under the Munster posts, which earned the young prop a yellow card.

Glasgow opted for a scrum from the penalty but failed to convert and Munster got out of trouble by winning a much-needed scrum penalty on their own line, this time in the corner. They would survive Cronin’s absence as both sides helped the cause by making numerous substitutions during that 10-minute period, although the introduction of Glasgow half-backs Niko Matawalu and Ruaridh Jackson certainly gave the home side some fresh impetus.

Referee Davies’ scrum clinics continued to disrupt what little flow in the game there was and he bizarrely sin-binned opposing props on the same side of a scrum in the 74th minute, Glasgow tighthead John Welsh and Munster’s Dave Kilcoyne seeing the yellow as the remaining players could barely disguise their confusion.

Glasgow were not out of this, though, and were after more than losing bonus point, laying siege to the Munster line as the clock ran down but their efforts stymied by some excellent last-ditch defending and, almost inevitably, by a dropped pass out wide with the try line begging for wing DTH Van der Merwe.

It was a typically scrappy end to a frustrating night for spectators and further sullied by an allegation from an incensed Donncha O’Callaghan that he had been bitten.

Yet, for the second week in-a-row, Munster found a way to win ugly having under performed for most of the night, with Hanrahan’s try a thrilling bright spot among the mediocrity.

- Last night’s results — RaboDirect PRO12: Edinburgh 20 Benetton Treviso 13; Zebre 16 Scarlets 16; Ospreys 40 Newport Gwent D’gons 17. Aviva Premiership: Bath 15 Gloucester 13

MUNSTER: J Murphy; A Conway (J Downey, 47), C Laulala, I Dineen, R O’Mahony; JJ Hanrahan, C Murray; J Cronin, M Sherry (D Varley, 56), S Archer (BJ Botha, 56); D O’Callaghan, B Holland; P O’Mahony — captain, S Dougall (D Kilcoyne, 51), CJ Stander (J Coughlan, 61).

Yellow card: J Cronin 51-61, D Kilcoyne 74 Replacements not used: D Foley, C Sheridan, C Bohane.

GLASGOW: S Maitland; B McGuigan, M Bennett (G Ascarate, 54), S Lamont, DTH van der Merwe; D Weir (R Jackson, 65), C Cusiter – captain (N Matawalu, 54); R Grant (J Yanuyanutawa, 54), P MacArthur (D Hall, 60), M Low (J Welsh, 60); T Swinson (T Ryder, 65), J Gray; R Harley (M Low, 74), T Holmes (C Fusaro, 54), J Strauss.

Yellow card: J Welsh 74.

Referee: Ian Davies (Wales).