Glasgow Warriors 27
Munster 24
A DISASTROUS START and two second half yellow cards proved very costly for Munster against champions Glasgow Warriors.
Munster recovered from 14-0 down after just eight minutes but came unstuck again in the second half.
Munster, fielding an all-Irish starting 15 and with 18 of their matchday squad having come through their own ranks, went into this one with a good record in Glasgow.
They won in six of their dozen visits away to Glasgow, lost five and drawn one, and coach Anthony Foley was hopeful of getting their Pro12 campaign back on track by repeating their victory over the champions from September at Thomond Park.
This was Glasgow’s first Pro12 match at Rugby Park in Kilmarnock — making it the 39th venue to stage a game in the competition — but they brought a crowd of over 9,000 last month when they played Racing 92 here in the Champions Cup after their home ground at Scotstoun became flooded.
A foul afternoon and evening of wind and rain ensured that the attendance would not surpass the Champions Cup dead rubber but the all-weather surface appropriately named stadium ensured a lively encounter for the crowd of 7,217.
Munster, who flew in on Friday morning to nearby Pretswick Airport from Shannon before returning home after the game, camped up throughout the afternoon at the new hotel which adjoins the football ground.
And it was obvious that while the surface wouldn’t be a factor, the swirling wind and wet ball would have an impact on proceedings.
But it wasn’t a factor in Munster’s disastrous start which saw them fall 14-0 after just eight minutes.
Tongan tighthead Sila Puafisi, one of 18 internationals in the Glasgow squad to Munster’s nine, scored both of them from close range drives after the visitors’ were forced on the back foot.
Munster kept it in tight and gave Glasgow a dose of their own medicine and, remarkably, were in front by the 23rd minutes.
Anthony Foley’s men never panicked, kept building the phases and loosehead Dave Kilcoyne match his opposite number with a brace of tries of his own.
The first came after 13 minutes, with Robin Copeland having made good in a multi-phases move, and this time Donnacha Ryan made significant yardage as they again built the phases and Kilcoyne produced the finish.
Ian Keatley converted both and in between added a penalty and that helped Munster lead 17-14 at the break.
Glasgow hit back five minutes after the break when out-half Duncan Weir showed super pace to cut through the cover and slide over to regain the lead.
Munster brought on former Irish U20 Conor Oliver for his debut, with James Cronin coming on for double try scorer Kilcoyne.
A yellow card to scrum-half Tomas O’Leary for a deliberate knock-on made Munster’s task more difficult after 56 minutes, with a massive downpour making it extremely difficult for both sides.
Wei extended Glasgow’s lead with a penalty after 62 minutes to make it 22-17.
Munster hit back though with Billy Holland taking a five-metre lineout a penalty down the right and replacement hooker Mike Sherry did well to score in the corner. Keatley did even better in the swirling wind to land his fourth kick of the night to lead 24-22.
However, Munster’s task again increased when replacement loosehead Cronin was binned after 69 minutes and almost immediately they were punished for again not clearing their lines and Glasgow used the numbers for centre Glenn Price to score an unconverted try.
That left it 27-24 with Keatley off target with a drop goal effort five minutes from time.
Scorers
Glasgow Warriors
Tries: Sila Puafisi (2), Duncan Weir, Glenn Price
Penalties: Duncan Weir
Conversions: Duncan Weir (2)
Munster
Tries: Dave Kilcoyne (2), Mike Sherry
Penalties: Ian Keatley
Conversions: Ian Keatley (3)
GLASGOW WARRIORS: Peter Murchie, Taqele Naiyaravoro, Glenn Bryce, Peter Horne, Sean Lamont, Duncan Weir, Ali Price (Grayson Hart ’60); Gordon Reid (Jerry Yanuyanutawa ’54), James Malcolm (Cammy Fenton ’77), Sila Puafisi (Zander Fagerson 54), Tim Swinson (Greg Peterson ’65), Leone Nakarawa, Robert Harley, Chris Fusaro (Simone Favara ’38), Josh Strauss.
MUNSTER: Andrew Conway; Darren Sweetnam, David Johnston (Cian Bohane ’73), Rpry Scannell, Ronan O’Mahony; Ian Keatley, Tomas O’Leary (Duncan Williams ’66); Dave Kilcoyne (James Cronin ’46), Niall Scannell (Mike Sherry ’56), John Ryan (Mario Sagario ’58); Donnacha Ryan, Billy Holland; Jack O’Donoghue, Tommy O’Donnell (Conor Oliver ’46, Kilcoyne ‘78), Robin Copeland (Dave Foley ’20).
Referee: B Whitehouse (Wales).
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