Glasgow v Munster: Five takeaways as comeback quashed in final minutes with diminished Warriors defying ‘international argument’
Glasgow vs Munster five takeaways
A Glasgow Warriors side missing 20 possible first-team players confidently dismantled Munster in the United Rugby Championship (URC) on Friday evening, much to the dismay of the travelling supporters.
Here are our five takeaways:
The top line
Despite having a number of their own players missing on international duty, Munster started strong, looking to control the game from the outset.
The tide soon turned, however, when Glasgow sprung from their own 22 to the Munster try-line in two wonderful phases. Winger Ollie Smith benefitted from the brilliant teamwork, touching down after just a matter of minutes from the game starting. After two illegal charge-downs, Dan Lancaster stuck the conversion to make it seven to the good.
The 24-year-old fly-half was at it again moments later to pick off a telegraphed Munster pass and race under the posts from 50 metres out, making it 14-0 despite being against the cosh for much of the opening plays.
Munster scrum-half Ethan Coughlan responded shortly after, with an interception of his own to claw back Munster’s early deficit. However, his score would be the last for his side for some time, as the Glasgow pressure continued, allowing for Olujare Oguntibeju to score from close range.
A Thaakir Abrahams yellow card would yet allow for another home score, when a huge gap opened up for full-back Josh McKay to touch down before the half.
It took a while for the scores to change after the break, but when it did, it was a wonderful individual try from Dan Kelly that did it. Running from his own half, he broke the line, stepped the covering defender and gassed the remaining chasers.
As the game hung in the balance, Brian Gleeson pounced on a misfiring Glasgow lineout to bring the game to within two scores with just 20 minutes to go.
Munster were back in the game, and with some brilliant hands, they once again scored in the corner through Diarmuid Kilgallen to bring the game, remarkably, within a score.
The comeback was not to be, however.
Just as Munster looked to be bringing the game back into their hands, a missed touchline kick from Tom Wood returned the momentum to Glasgow, and the final 10 minutes would be seen out with yet another Lancaster kick at goal and a yellow card for Jack O’Donoghue.
Final score: Glasgow Warriors 31-22 Munster Rugby
Two weakened sides
At the top of the table, Glasgow showed their immense strength in depth to keep their feet on Munster’s neck. They were incredibly physical throughout, showing fast hands and pinpoint accurate patterns that come about only with incredible team cohesion.
Munster, missing 14 players from the starting roster, failed to click within the first 40 minutes of the match, only coming alive when the powerful bench made its impact.
The Irish side were missing seven of the squad through injury. The other seven were missing through international selection, such is the penalty for doing well that the visitors were unable to field their ideal XV for the top-of-the-table encounter.
That means little, however, when their opponents fielded a team short of 20 members of their wider squad, with just five of those missing due to injury. The other 15 will be competing with Munster’s seven in the international arena for this year’s Six Nations.
So, although the international argument is valid in some cases, here it is not. Glasgow’s strength in depth simply proved better than Munster’s, as they secured their ninth victory on the bounce, while Munster have lost five out of their last six matches.
How the URC table stacks up
Glasgow extend their lead at the top of the URC with their five-point victory over the visitors, as they stretch the gap to eight points over their nearest rivals, Stormers, who happen to have two games in hand.
Munster, however, failed to rise in the rankings after coming away with just one point in the entertaining clash at Scotstoun Stadium. They would have risen to second place in the table with a win, but instead find themselves having played one game more than any of the rest of the chasing pack, leaving their fifth-place position very precarious.
Stats tell a one-sided story
The story the stats tell is one of territorial and possessional dominance in favour of the home side. With 60% territory and 61% possession, Glasgow had Munster’s number throughout.
They were constantly banging at the visitors’ door as they made a mockery of their set piece, reducing Munster to just four scrum wins and a disappointing 33 missed tackles.
Gleeson was defensively superb, completing a remarkable 24 efforts, while teammates such as Coughlan, Abrahams and Kelly missed 13 between them.
When a team can whip the ball between the hands as Glasgow did on Friday, the minimum expectation is that players make their tackles when they can get close enough to the attacker.
Not all Munster players did so.
The vital moment
Munster had the game by the scruff of the neck with 10 minutes remaining. There was less than a score between the two sides, and the visitors had all the momentum.
O’Donoghue had just won a vital ruck turnover in his own half. All Wood had to do was stick the ball in the corner, and his side could have mounted the attack to take the lead for the first time.
If it had gone to plan, then the comeback would likely have been complete, and fans would have left the game feeling entirely different.
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The reality of which, however, is that Wood was too optimistic with the kick, missing touch and as a result, conceding an attacking scrum to the opposition.
This signalled the end of the comeback for Munster, with the Irish side conceding a penalty kick and never quite grasping that moment back again.
All this being said, Wood actually had a splendid game and showed great promise for the future. All this will be a learning curve for the young man.