Munster 40
Glasgow Warriors 29
Stephen Barry reports from Musgrave Park
MUNSTER SHOWED THEIR attack is warming up nicely for the Champions Cup as they steamrolled URC table-toppers Glasgow Warriors for six tries in freezing conditions at a sold-out Musgrave Park.
The men in red vaulted from eighth place into third overnight, three points behind the Scots, as they wrapped up the bonus point before half-time with Tom Ahern’s second try.
Academy lock Edwin Edogbo and captain Diarmuid Barron were the other early try-scorers before Alex Nankivell and John Hodnett drove over after the break.
But Munster’s failure to disarm the Warriors’ potent line-out maul cost them five tries, four in the second half, as the visitors left with a bonus point in defeat.
One more positive for Munster was the hotly anticipated debut off the bench for Crusaders recruit Oli Jager, who came up with a crucial turnover penalty when Glasgow could’ve really piled on some pressure.
The Warriors had only leaked 10 tries in their opening six games but their defence was all at sea against the waves of Munster attack. They conceded three tries and six penalties inside 16 minutes as the hosts came at them with relentless energy.
Before long, Glasgow were being warned for what referee Marius van der Westhuizen called an apparent “tactic” of fouling Tadhg Beirne in the air at line-outs.
Once Munster got clean possession, they punched a hole from close range as 20-year-old Edogbo dived over for his third try of the season. Jack Crowley’s conversion made it 7-0.
When Glasgow were penalised again, the South African ref had lost all patience as Nathan McBeth was sent to the sin bin for preventing Craig Casey getting to the ball.
They were lucky they weren’t reduced to 13 players as Limerick-born scrum-half Seán Kennedy appeared to take out man of the match Ahern as he scored Munster’s second try.
The towering back-row was brought to the ground with a bang under a crossfield field but was driven over the line by Seán O’Brien. Crowley’s missed conversion left it 12-0.
From the restart, Munster produced the try of the day from inside their own 22. Antoine Frisch’s offload created the space, Ahern fed O’Brien, and his kick inside was gathered by Nankivell. He was hauled down but there was no stopping Barron as he stepped inside off of Casey’s pass. Crowley made it 19-0 from the touchline.
Glasgow pulled a try back through their line-out maul when Sione Vailanu crashed over, although Duncan Weir missed the conversion.
The bonus point was secured in the 37th minute when Ahern added his second in the far corner. It originated, again, from Frisch’s break before Gavin Coombes raced clear. From there, it went through the hands for the Ardmore native to finish.
Another sideline conversion by Crowley left the half-time lead at 26-5 but Glasgow manufactured another line-out maul opportunity within two minutes of the restart and Munster couldn’t hold out.
Hooker Johnny Matthews extended his lead as the league’s top try-scorer with his eighth of the season. Weir’s boot was malfunctioning, however, as his missed kick left the deficit at 16.
The Warriors began to foul again as Munster marched forward through a series of penalties. John Hodnett’s tap-and-go produced another advantage, which Nankivell punished despite a loose pass. Lucio Sordoni was sin-binned before Crowley added the extras for a 33-10 lead.
Even with 14, Glasgow committed enough bulk to their maul to mine a third try. While the initial drive came up just short, Rory Darge burst through the centre of the ruck to dot down. Weir’s third successive miss meant the gap stayed at 18.
The visitors were back to a full compliment when they forced a bonus point from a penalty try. The maul defence was the problem again as Munster infringed twice before Van der Westhuizen went to the posts and yellow-carded Beirne to boot.
The hosts produced the perfect response as they gave a demonstration of their own power when Hodnett was shoved over from a tap-and-go penalty. Crowley’s conversion made it 40-22.
But a final maul drive finished by Angus Fraser and converted by Weir took some further gloss off the victory.
Scorers for Munster: Tries: T Ahern 2, E Edogbo, D Barron, A Nankivell, J Hodnett; Cons: J Crowley (5/6).
Scorers for Glasgow Warriors: Tries: S Vailanu, J Matthews, R Darge, A Fraser, penalty try; Con D Weir (1/5).
MUNSTER: S Daly; C Nash, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S O’Brien; J Crowley (R Scannell 70), C Casey (C Murray 61); J Loughman (D Kilcoyne 51), D Barron (c) (S Buckley 44), S Archer (O Jager 51); E Edogbo F Wycherley, T Beirne; T Ahern (A Kendellen 56), J Hodnett, G Coombes.
Replacement not used: B Gleeson.
Yellow card: T Beirne (62-72).
GLASGOW WARRIORS: J McKay (Z Fagerson 53-60) K Rowe, S Tuipulotu, S McDowall (c), O Smith (O Kebble 19-23) (T Jordan 39); D Weir, S Kennedy (B Afshar 72); N McBeth (O Kebble 51), J Matthews (A Fraser 72), L Sordoni (Z Fagerson 60); S Manjezi (G Peterson 51), S Cummings; S Vailanu (T Gordon 7), R Darge, H Venter (M Williamson 51).
Yellow cards: N McBeth (11-23), L Sordoni (50-60).
Referee: M van der Westhuizen (SARU).
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