Glasgow 13
Munster 11
Lewis Stuart reports at Scotstoun Stadium
YOUNG MUNSTER FLY-half Jack Crowley had a night to forget when he missed a crucial conversion that could have earned his side a draw on a cold wet night in Glasgow.
It would have been no more than the team deserved after clawing their way back from a first-half setback that saw them trailing by 10 points at one stage but with time running out there was no chance for his side to get over the miss.
The opportunity had been earned by the forwards who had battered away until they put Jean Kleyn, the lock, over for what could have been the levelling score only for things to go wrong as the ball slid past the upright.
It was always going be all about the forwards with the rain teeming down from about half an hour before kick off and refusing to relent. It made handling almost impossible and put the onus firmly on the pack and the young half backs to control the game.
Despite going behind to an early penalty from home fly half Duncan Weir and playing a lot of the game in their own 22, Munster made it work for them for most of the first half.
They were showing more penetration when they did get into strong positions, one bullocking run from Gavin Coombs showing what they could do, but it was not until the final minutes of the half before they got on the scoreboard.
Another promising attack won them a penalty, which Ben Healy, the fly half, duly slotted to level the scores, only for disaster to strike straight away.
It looked a routine clearance from the kick off but Neil Cronin had his kick charged down by discarded Scotland lock Scott Cummings, who managed to collect the ball and just about reach out to ground the ball. Weir converted and it was a seven point game at the break.
Though Munster came out stronger playing into the wind in the second half and managed to get home hooker Fraser Brown sin binned, they struggled to take advantage. They could only emerge from facing 14 men with both Weir and Healy kicking penalties and were facing an uphill battle in the final minutes.
The forwards did what they had to, though. They set up camp in the home line and eventually put Kleyn over about half way out on the left. The conversion would have levelled the scores but to the cheers of the home crowd, the ball sailed wide and Glasgow saw out the rest of the game.
Glasgow scores
Try: Scott Cummings (39).
Conversion: Duncan Weir [1 from 1]
Penalties: Duncan Weir [2 from 3]
Munster scores
Try: Jean Kleyn (72)
Penalties: Ben Healy [2 from 3]
Glasgow: Ollie Smith; Sebastian Cancelliere, Robbie Fergusson (Stafford McDowall 64), Rufus McLean (Jamie Dobie, 6, Jonny Matthews 61-66); Duncan Weir, George Horne; Oli Kebble, Fraser Brown (sin bin: 56-66, Jonny Matthews, 69), Simon Berghan (Enrique Pieretto, 64), Scott Cummings, Richie Gray, Ryan Wilson (Kiran McDonald, 64), Tom Gordon (Ally Miller, 73), Jack Dempsey.
Munster: Mike Haley; Shane Daly, Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell, Simon Zebo; Ben Healy (Jack Crowley, 68), Neil Cronin (Paddy Patterson, 68); Jeremy Loughman (Josh Wycherley, 54), Diarmud Barron (Kevin O’Byrne, 68), Stephen Archer (John Ryan, 61) Jean Kleyn, Fineen Wycherley, Jack O’Donoghue, Chris Cloete (John Hodnett, 54), Gavin Coombes (Alex Kendellen,, 68.
Referee: Gianlca Gnecchi (Italy)
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