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Munster Slip Up In Glasgow

Munster Slip Up In Glasgow

Munster felt the wrath of a frustrated Glasgow side on Saturday night as the four-try Warriors earnt their first win of the Celtic League season.

Sam Pinder tries to evade the grasp of Munster and Ireland’s Trevor Hogan

Munster felt the wrath of a frustrated Glasgow side on Saturday night as the four-try Warriors earnt their first win of the Celtic League season.

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CELTIC LEAGUE: Saturday, September 17

Glasgow 32 Munster 10, Hughenden (Att: 1,884)

Scorers: Glasgow: Tries: Steve Swindall, Rory Lamont, Mike Roberts, Andrew Wilson; Cons: Dan Parks 3; Pens: Parks 2

Munster: Try: Penalty try; Con: Ronan O’Gara; Pen: Paul Burke

Munster’s patternless start to the season continued as they put in a lacklustre performance that was worlds apart from last weekend’s excellent home display against the Ospreys. Credit to Glasgow, Declan Kidney’s side were simply not allowed to function to their usual standards, and ultimately paid the price for not capatilizing on try-scoring chances either side of the interval.

By that stage, Hugh Campbell’s men were nearly out of sight at 25-3 to the good. The visitors’ only chink of light came when a 51st-minute scrum saw Glasgow cough up a penalty try for returning Lion Ronan O’Gara to convert.

Seven minutes later however, a Mike Roberts try effectively sealed the visitors’ fate – even though man-of-the-match Dan Parks, who kicked 12 points, was subsequently sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on.

The Warriors laid the platform for their first ever league defeat of Munster with three first half tries. In the early stages, Glasgow’s frustrations at last week’s luckless 26-21 defeat by Leinster – a match they should have won – were there for all to see as Munster failed to contain a rampant home attack.

Three minutes in and Steve Swindall, after good work from Scott Lawson and Andrew Wilson, powered over from a short range ruck to score.

Scotland international Parks added the conversion and two neat penalties for an early 14-0 lead. Munster finally awoke from their slumber on 22 minutes when their first meaningful attack yielded a penalty for Paul Burke.

Unfortunately it failed to settle Kidney’s side and Burke’s score just seemed to stoke Glasgow’s fires even further. A crossfield kick from Parks put Rory Lamont in for Warriors’ second try on 26 minutes.

Munster flanker David Wallace almost got in at the other end but lost the chip ahead race to the tryline. It was a pivotal moment – Wallace’s opposite number Wilson, seven minutes before the break, popped up for another Glasgow try.

Somehow the Warriors defence held Munster at bay in a first half injury-time period that lasted 13 minutes due to the earlier injury of Glasgow prop Euan Murray (concussion).

2005 Lion Donncha O’Callaghan came off the bench after the restart, as did O’Gara, but Munster’s only successful punch of a dire performance came with the penalty try. Welsh referee Nigel Owens awarded the score for a broken-up Glasgow scrum close to the home side’s own line. Munster’s hard work was then cancelled out as a grubber kick by Parks sent Mike Roberts arrowing through for their bonus point try on 58 minutes.

Parks was subsequently yellow carded, but the decision mattered little in the overall scheme of the match. Munster, who now sit sixth in the table, will have to raise their game and find some much-needed consistency as the Llanelli Scarlets – the team they beat for Celtic Cup glory last May – visit Musgrave Park on Friday night.

GLASGOW: Calvin Howarth; Rory Lamont, Andy Craig, Scott Barrow (Grame Morrison 72), Mike Roberts (Graydon Staniforth 83); Dan Parks (Capt), Sam Pinder (Graeme Beveridge 77); Euan Murray (Stuart Corsar 4; Fergus Thomson 52), Scott Lawson, Lee Harrison, Tim Barker (Dan Turner 77), Craig Hamilton, Steve Swindall, Andrew Wilson, Paul Dearlove (Gregor Hayter 56).

MUNSTER: Shaun Payne; Barry Murphy, Rob Henderson (Anthony Foley half-time), Trevor Halstead, Anthony Horgan (John Kelly 46); Paul Burke (Ronan O’Gara (half-time), Frank Murphy (Mike Prendergast half-time); Marcus Horan, Frank Sheahan (Capt) 0Jerry Flannery 72), Federico Pucciariello (Tony Buckley 66), Trevor Hogan, Mick O’Driscoll (Donncha O’Callaghan 50), Alan Quinlan, Denis Leamy, David Wallace.

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales); Sin-Bin: Dan Parks (Glasgow) (67 mins)