Heartbreak for valiant Munster as Glasgow come from behind to claim win
Sean O'Brien scored a 66th converted try which put Munster ahead by 11 points against Glasgow Warriors but they could not hold on. Pic: Ewan Bootman/Sportsfile
Heartbreak for Munster as they led their Scottish rivals for almost the entire game, only to surrender their advantage with seconds to go. They had done just about everything expected of them with some brilliant attacking play and resolute defence but conceded vital scores in the final quarter against the team ranked second in the URC.
Of course, there was no shortage of motivation for either team, with both coming off defeats, and if there was any doubt about the long history of rivalry between the sides, the home team welcomed the visitors with a reminder of how they had beaten the Irish to the then Pro12 title a decade ago.
So perhaps it was inevitable that Munster started the stronger, on the attack from the kick-off, and only a couple of small knock-ons in rucks seemed to hinder them as they set up a couple of attacking mauls and laid siege to the home line.
They didn’t make the pressure pay, however, and when Fineen Wycherley saw yellow for upending a Glasgow player in a ruck, the home side were able to break the siege and enjoy their own period of attack.
As with the Irish, however, they couldn’t make it work, and when Munster broke free, they produced enough brilliance to claim the first score, with fly-half Tony Butler both starting it with a clever dink over the defence and providing a superb cross-field kick to winger Andrew Smith, who only had to catch it and feed inside to flanker John Hodnett for the opening try.
Things got even better as Munster went back on the attack, pummelling the line with their big forwards before slipping the ball to the blindside, where winger Sean O’Brien had the strength to drive through one tackle and then reach out to place the ball down one-handed.
Glasgow are a dangerous team, though, and showed that as scrum-half George Horne wriggled through a tiny gap. There might have been a hint of offside about the pass to wing Kyle Steyn in support, but the home skipper made the most of his chance, racing down into the 22, where Horne was lurking on his shoulder to take the scoring pass.
Munster sensibly took the three points on offer from their next attack, Butler slotting the penalty, but it was the home side who had the next score as they unleashed a trademark set-piece move from a scrum, with Steyn coming off the blindside wing to cut through and race in from halfway.
There was a fair amount of huffing and puffing over the remaining minutes of the half, but neither side could add to the score, so it was the Irish who held a one-point lead at the break, with both sides having grabbed a brace of tries and the wind behind Munster in the second half.
Still, it was Glasgow who had the first chance of the second half, with more quick hands sending winger Sebastien Cancelliere racing down the touchline, only for O’Brien to miraculously get back to haul him down.
So it continued, with Glasgow throwing all their tricks into attack but finding the determined Munster defence almost impossible to crack as they battered and battered but came away with nothing.
Instead, it was Munster who increased their lead as they won a penalty under the home posts when they broke clear, and Butler added another three points to their advantage. It was very much a case of absorbing the pressure and hitting on the counter-attack, but it worked.
They shifted the ball right, where centre Tom Farrell held off the would-be tacklers long enough to slip the ball to O’Brien, who had the pace to run in try number three. With Rory Scannell adding the conversion, they were 11 points clear.
Again, Glasgow hit back, hammering through the middle until replacement back-row Matt Fagerson crashed over the line, but it was still advantage Munster as the game went into the final minutes.
That was still enough time for Glasgow to mount a final assault on the visitors’ line, hammering through the forwards until prop Nathan Macbeth forced his way over, and with less than three minutes to go, the home side were in the lead for the first time.
There was still time for Munster to try to rescue the game in which they had been so dominant for so long, but they could not get past the halfway line, and their final chance fizzled out as they conceded a penalty for failing to release in a ruck. The home supporters could celebrate, but the desolation on the faces of the visitors was plain to see.
Tries: Horne, Steyn, Fagerson, MacBeth. Cons: Hastings (4).
Tries: Hodnett, O’Brien (2). Con: Butler, Scannell. Pens: Butler (2).
K Rowe; S Cancelliere, O Smith (D Weir, 41), S McDowall, K Steyn (C) (B Afshar, 61-71); A Hastings, G Horne; J Bhatti (N McBeth, 48), J Matthews, P Schickerling (S Talakai, 48), J Oguntibeju (G Brown, 41), A Samuel (J du Preez, 61), E Ferrie, S Vialanu (M Fagerson, 41), J Mann.
B O’Connor; S O’Brien, T Farrell, A Nankivell, A Smith; T Butler (R Scannell, 61), P Patterson (E Coughlan, 53); J Loughman (J Wycherley, 53), D Barron (C), S Archer, F Wycherley (sin bin 10-21), T Ahern, A Kendellen, J Hodnett, (R Quinn, 51) G Coombes.
M Ferreira (South Africa)
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