Munster march into quarter-finals as pool winners

Glasgow Warriors 12 Munster 14

Glasgow must be utterly sick of the sight of this Munster team this season. This was Munster’s 11th win in 12 games, in a sequence which began with their first of this European Champions Cup double over the Warriors on that momentous day October, and also featured another narrow Pro12 win here in December.

This was inestimably more valuable, if even more infuriating for Glasgow, as it ensured Munster followed Leinster into the quaerter-finals and, like them, they can now nail down a Thomond Park quarter-final by beating Racing in their final pool game there next Saturday afternoon.

It ebbed, if it didn’t exactly flow, but Munster won’t care about that after completing a classical smash-and-grab away win through the magnificence of their defence, their sheer obduracy and then through stealthily taking their one real chance of note through Francis Saili’s try inside the last 10 minutes, thereby taking the lead for the first time in the match.

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In truth, Munster created little, were made to look a little one-dimensional in their rung game, while kicking a tad too much and not always effectively, and not offering Conor Murray’s kicking game enough protection around the fringes.

But then again, for all Glasgow’s probing, Munster’s defence was excellent, especially in the 10-12-13 axis of Tyler Bleyendaal, Rory Scannell and Jaco Taute, and come to think of it out wide too, where Andrew Conway came up with some big plays. And when penetrated, they scrambled brilliantly and defended their try-line heroically from one to 15.

At the end of a taut and tight first half, the 6-6 scoreline was a fair reflection of the opening 40 minutes. As expected the frisson of friction between these two sides in their third meeting in three months was always bubbling underneath the surface and, no less than the home team, the home crowd in a full and atmospheric Scotstoun were baying for revenge after those two defeats.

It was also clear from the outset that Glasgow were going to target Conor Murray whenever possible. The home captain came through with a fractionally late hit (and Josh Strauss would do likewise) which Murray took exception to as Stuart Hogg claimed the box kick with a leaping take under pressure. Alex Dunbar then broke upfield before being hauled down by Murray before Conway brilliantly beat Hogg in the air to a subsequent one but as for the most part it was the Warriors who were asking the early questions.

Failing to secure two of their first three line-outs didn’t help, Niall Scannell being called for a crooked throw before Gray did enough in the air when competing with Donnacha Ryan to force another turnover.

Glasgow’s scrum was also imposing itself and after Josh Strauss charged off the base, the dangerman, Finn Russell was also finding grass – or at any rate the 4g surface – with a deft chip which he just failed to gather one-handed. But when David Kilcoyne was first to hit the deck at Munster’s first put-in, Russell landed the ensuing penalty.

Nonetheless, although Tyler Bleyendaal was short with a penalty from half-way, Munster’s strong defending across the line, and especially out wide through Jaco Taute and Keith Earls, along with their hunger for loose balls (Peter O’Mahony and Donnacha Ryan snaffling two) brought them into the game.

They started to apply their forward running game, and after Taute deflected the ball on to Keith Earls he was tackled high by Lee Jones for Bleyendaal to draw the sides level.

Alas, Stander untypically knocked on Russell’s restart before Conway brilliantly beat Hogg in the air to a Murray box kick and Russell kicked out on the full. This prompted Munster’s best spell of the half, Murray launching Kilcoyne through the middle of the line-out from Kleyn’s tap down, and then used their forward rumblers to keep trucking it up, with the backs mostly clearing out. O’Mahony on the right flank, and then Stander and Donnacha Ryan on the left, came within a couple of metres of the Glasgow line before Munster were penalised, a little harshly, for not releasing.

Donnacha Ryan was then pinged again for not releasing as Alex Dunbar poached and, in contrast to Munster, Glasgow had the back-up of Hogg from long-range to comfortably land the penalty from half-way.

Even so, within three minutes, when Murray was roughed again after the whistle by Strauss, the additional sanction of 10 metres afforded Bleyendaal to level matters again. The half ended with another penalty from half-way by Hogg, after Donnacha Ryan was this time penalised for a high tackle on Ryan Wilson, but the Scottish full-back was inches wide.

A knock-on by Simon Zebo on the resumption immediately put Munster on the back foot again, and this was the cue for Glasgow to add more variation and tempo to their running game, with inside passes, tip-on passes and offloads. They went wide to Hogg, who danced infield before being tackled by Rory Scannell, before Keith Earls made a vital intercept when making a good read of Russell’s feint to pass behind and then pass wide.

But Russell was soon stepping inside Stander and freeing Tim Swinson for a threatening gallop toward the posts, and when Conway was penalised for not rolling away after the tackle, Russell kicked Glasgow back in front. Again though, they undid their good work when Fraser Brown was pinged for not releasing after the tackle, and again Bleyendaal drew the sides level.

And, yet again, back came Glasgow. Price sniped through off a line-out, linking with Mark Bennett, who was hauled down by Conway when he trailed infield. A double hit by Bleyendaal and Rory Scannell forced a spillage by Bennett, but when Stander was penalised for side entry at a maul, Russell made it 12-9.

Ultimately, the game pivoted on a box kick out on the full by Price, who cursed his mistake as it granted Munster an attacking line-out just outside the Glasgow 22. That was Munster’s cue; a huge maul setting the tone as they kept launching close-in or one-off runners through an energy-sapping, multi-phase drive.

Eventually they risked going wide to Conway, who stepped inside Hogg but had his momentum checked by the full-back’s swinging arm, and was prevented from touching down by a combination of Lee Jones and Nick Grigg. In accordance with the World Rugby directive on high tackles, referee Luke Pearce correctly binned Hogg.

Bleyendall tapped the penalty into the corner and Munster were given a free play when Glasgow pulled the maul down. Bleyendaal and Rory Scannell went wide to Zebo, who, although tackled, moved the ball on to Earls and his infield line was enough to check Tommy Seymour for Francis Saili to loop around at pace and finish with a flourish by the left corner flag.

Bleyendaal missed the conversion and Tim Swinson charged down a box kick by Murray to ensure a nervy finale.

But Munster’s line speed, discipline and tackling were exemplary across the line, one thumping hit by Jack O’Donoghue stopping Rob Harley in his tracks, before Zander Ferguson knocked on infield. Quite why Russell didn’t step into the pocket for a drop goal attempt was curious, to say the least.

Even so, after a huge gallop wide out by Swinson, Munster needed Conway to trail infield and gather Russell’s chip in behind, before Conway then stymied the last attack by tackling Jones with a little help from Saili.

From the final line-out, Murray gleefully hoofed the ball high into the stands and (guess what) was hit late for his troubles again to spark an admittedly brief post-whistle fracas.

Yep, Glasgow must hate Munster alright.

Scoring sequence – 13 mins Russell pen 3-0; 21 mins Bleyendaal pen 3-3; 32 mins Hogg pen 6-3; 35 mins Bleyendaal pen 6-6; (half-time 6-6); 48 mins Russell pen 9-6; 51 mins Bleyendaal pen 9-9; 60 mins Russell pen 12-9; 72 mins Saili try 12-14.

GLASGOW WARRIORS: Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Mark Bennett, Alex Dunbar, Lee Jones; Finn Russell, Ali Price; Gordon Reid, Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson, Tim Swinson, Jonny Gray (capt), Robert Harley, Ryan Wilson, Josh Strauss.

Replacements: Pat MacArthur for Brown, Nick Grigg for Bennett (both 63 mins), Alex Allan, D’Arcy Raefor Reid (78 mins), Matt Fagerson, Chris Fusaro for Strauss (68 mins), Grayson Hart, Pete Murchie.

MUNSTER: Simon Zebo; Andrew Conway, Jaco Taute, Rory Scannell, Keith Earls; Tyler Bleyendaal, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, John Ryan, Jean Kleyn, Donnacha Ryan, Peter O’Mahony (capt), Jack O’Donoghue, CJ Stander.

Replacements: James Cronin for Kilcoyne (49 mins), Rhys Marshall for N Scannell (67 mins), Thomas Du Toit for Ryan (61 mins), Billy Holland for Kleyn (54 mins), Duncan Williams for Murray (65-71 mins), Dave Foley for O’Mahony, Ian Keatley for Zebo (both 73 mins), Francis Saili for Taute (57 mins).

Referee: Luke Pearce (England).