Too little, too late as Munster fightback falls short against dominant Glasgow

The home side were 31-0 down before they sparked to life. 

NO GO: Munster’s Dave Kilcoyne is tackled by Matt Fagerson and Nathan McBeth of Glasgow. Picture: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

MUNSTER 26 

GLASGOW WARRIORS 38 

Munster slumped to a heavy defeat in their final home league game of the season as Glasgow ran riot at Thomond Park to extend their advantage in the top-four of the BKT URC table on Saturday night.

The Scottish side had romped into a 28-0 half-time lead and moved 31-0 ahead soon after the interval before Graham Rowntree’s side came to life, finding an answer to Glasgow’s physical dominance and set-piece authority with four second-half tries to claim a bonus point, despite being unable to close the gap enough to add a losing BP.

"They taught us a lesson," said Munster head coach Graham Rowntree, "we will bounce back next week. We weren’t good enough. Not going to sugarcoat it.

"Rugby is a simple game. We didn’t win the collisions. We will look at it in the cold light of day but that wasn’t good enough."

As impressive as Glasgow were, Munster were just as disappointing as their brilliant form since November deserted them at the worst possible time, rendering their chase for a home quarter-final that a top-four finish will bring all the more difficult, six points adrift of the Warriors with just two URC rounds to go. That both those rounds are in South Africa at the end of April make the task even harder while this home defeat comes in advance of a challenging Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 trip to Durban to play a Springbok-loaded Cell C Sharks team next Saturday.

On the back of their biggest home defeat since the 40-33 European loss inflicted by Toulouse two years ago and the heaviest loss since last season’s 15-point margin handed out by Leinster in a 34-19 reverse, this was hardly ideal timing to be preparing for a trip to the high humidity of Kings Park in Durban.

Munster had conceded four second-half tries in Cork on their most recent outing three weeks earlier, but survived to beat Scarlets 49-42 but their defensive frailties were quickly exposed at Thomond Park.

The warning signs were posted early as Glasgow started in dominant fashion, 7-0 ahead after six minutes as Franco Smith’s side first won the early collisions, then exerted scrum superiority with the first of four first half penalties at the set-piece then struck from a lineout, their driving maul fracturing Munster’s defence as powerhouse No.8 Sione Vailanu touched down, converted by fly-half Domingo Miotti.

That was just the beginning as Glasgow opened a 28-0 half-time lead. A scything linebreak through a Mike Haley tackle sent captain and centre Stafford McDowall in for try number two on 24 minutes, and then Miotti turned from goal-kicker to try-scorer himself, squeezing between Shane Daly and Diarmuid Barron to score with his arm outstretched six minutes later.

Glasgow’s defensive work was just as impressive, denying Munster any opportunity to build through phase play while the home side was unusually sloppy in possession and at their own set-piece.

When Munster finally put some phases together and was able to make inroads into the Glasgow 22, a knock-on in front of the posts curtailed the momentum and the visitors struck from a scrum on their own tryline, ending the first half by marching upfield and then wing Cole Forbes making the incisive line break to collect the try bonus point.

It left Munster to trudge off to stunned silence from the Thomond Park faithful trying to digest an unprecedented 28-0 half-time deficit.

Munster, with a rocket from head coach Rowntree ringing in their ears, and with a change at loosehead prop as Josh Wycherley replaced under-pressure Dave Kilcoyne. They started the second half with greater and much-needed intensity but their failure to retain possession led to another setback as Glasgow once again advanced from their 22 to put themselves 31-0 up four minutes after the restart as Miotti kicked a drop goal.

It was all deeply frustrating from a side that had been playing with such verve since and increasing fluency as the climbed from 14th place in October into the top eight and within sight of the top four.

With tighthead prop Stephen Archer and hooker Scott Buckley also into the fray, Munster finally sparked to life, thanks to a scrum penalty won by Josh Wycherley. The home side’s first points of the game came soon after as Gavin Coombes struck from a lineout set-play, Carbery converted. The crowd finally found its voice, Malakai Fekitoa was suddenly busting the gainline and replacement scrum-half Craig Casey was able to inject some tempo so essential to the way Munster go about their business.

It was Casey who struck next, sniping at the side of a ruck four minutes after Coombes’ opener on 57 minutes, Carbery again converting to narrow the gap to 31-14. Yet with a sniff of a comeback in the air, Munster shot themselves in the foot once more through a sloppy set-piece and poor defence. Tongan No.8 Vailanu was once again the beneficiary, his 62nd-minute try, Glasgow’s fifth, deflating the Munster fightback as Miotti once again converted to restore a 24-point lead at 38-14.

Munster once again gave their supporters hope, Josh Wycherley’s 70th minute try, converted by Jack Crowley, once again narrowed the gap and Calvin Nash’s try in the corner bringing up a try bonus point, though Jack Crowley missed the touchline conversion. With just two minutes remaining it was too little too late on a sobering evening for Rowntree’s men.

MUNSTER: M Haley (S Zebo, 66); C Nash, M Fekitoa, J Crowley, S Daly; J Carbery (R Scannell, 63), P Patterson (C Casey, 45); D Kilcoyne (J Wycherley, h-t), D Barron (S Buckley, 52), R Salanoa (S Archer, 52); J Kleyn (RG Snyman, 59), F Wycherley; J O’Donoghue – captain (A Kendellen, 52), J Hodnett, G Coombes.

GLASGOW WARRIORS: O Smith (T Jordan, 27-37 - HIA); C Forbes, S McDowall – captain, S Johnson, J Dobie; D Miotti (A Samuel, 77), A Price (G Horne, 57); N McBeth (A Dell, 57), F Brown (J Matthews, 46), Z Fagerson (L Sordoni, 65); JP du Preez (L Bean, 57), S Cummings; M Fagerson (T Jordan, 77), R Darge, S Vailanu (T Gordon, 65).

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)