MUNSTER 35-29 GLASGOW WARRIORS
Saturday, 14 April 2012

A quite sensational hat-trick from Stuart Hogg could not prevent Glasgow Warriors from slipping to a 35-29 defeat to reigning RaboDirect PRO12 champions Munster in Cork on Saturday night.
But the losing bonus point the 19-year-old helped secure right at the death could still play a crucial role in helping Sean Lineen’s team reach the end of season play-offs.
They were up against it for much of the game at Musgrave Park, and certainly didn’t enjoy the better of the penalty count, but as has always been the case this year, the Warriors hung in there and still emerged with something.
Hogg was the indisputable star of the show, hauling Glasgow back into contention with two stunning scores at the start of the second half, and completing his hat-trick with the last move of the match when he collected a hack ahead from substitute Calum Forrester to dot down and cement his reputation as one of the most exciting young players in the European game.
Another replacement, Duncan Weir, added the conversion to bring the Warriors to within six points of their hosts, and back into fourth place in the competition table. They had temporarily dropped down to fifth because of the losing bonus point claimed by UIster away to Connacht.
The defeat, Glasgow’s first in 16 RaboDirect PRO12 games and only their second on the road since the first night of the season, makes next Sunday’s trip to Benetton Treviso an absolutely must-win game.
Only two regular season matches remain, with the Warriors hosting Connacht at Firhill on Saturday 5 May. There are surely still plenty twists and turns to come in what has already been an enthralling campaign.
After an attritional opening ten minutes, the Warriors notched the first points of the night when Ruaridh Jackson slotted a penalty awarded when Munster went off their feet at the ruck. A sniping Chris Cusiter break had started the move, with Richie Gray also underlining his ability to make yards with ball in hand.
Jackson had another opportunity to keep the scoreboard moving six minutes later as Donncha O'Callaghan was pinged for sealing off, but the stand-off's kick drifted just wide of the uprights.
Munster were keen to get the ball quickly through the hands, and won a penalty of their own shortly afterwards when Glasgow were caught offside in front of the posts. Jackson's counterpart Ian Keatley duly did the business to level things up at 3-3.
It was predictably tight, tense stuff at the bright but chilly Musgrave Park, and the Warriors gave as good as they got in contact, frustrating the hosts' attempts to put pace on the ball.
Munster eventually broke through via a fine surge from their rising star at No.8, Peter O'Mahony, and full-back Felix Jones tried to take advantage close to the line, twisting desperately in an ultimately frustrated attempt to squeeze over. Pat MacArthur did brilliantly to get underneath Jones and prevent the touchdown, with Peter Murchie also proving vigilant.
Munster kept up the pressure, however, and took the ball through the phases to create an overlap on the right, where winger Luke O'Dea strode over in the corner. Keatley couldn't add the extras from out on the touchline, so the score stayed at 8-3 for the hosts.
From the restart, the Irish side were pulled up for crossing, presenting Jackson with a futher penalty chance which he seized to bring the Warriors back to within two points.
Frustratingly for the visitors, they then conceded another penalty within easy range for Keatley, the pivot effecting a clean strike to take the score to 11-6.
Worse was to come for Lineen's men just before the interval. Munster got one of their trademark drives going on the back of a close-range lineout, and with the Glasgow defence beginning to buckle, O'Mahony took full advantage and dived over. Keatley kicked the conversion to give Munster a commanding interval advantage.
HALF-TIME: MUNSTER 18-6 GLASGOW WARRIORS
It was imperative that the Warriors started strongly in the second half, and this they did in some style.
There seemed little on when Hogg took possession of the ball well inside his own half, but the hitherto quiet outside centre opened up his legs and set off on a mesmerising run that saw him comprehensively burn the Munster cover and go over in the left-hand corner.
Jackson's conversion came back off the post, but Glasgow had hope. Maddeningly, they conceded another penalty almost instantly for offside, and Keatley put Munster 10 points to the good.
That advantage was immediately halved thanks to another piece of brilliance from that man Hogg. After Jackson fed him on the left, the Hawick product set up a neat and swift interchange with winger Colin Shaw and again defied all attempts to halt him as he careered in at the same corner. Jackson again couldn't quite get his angles right with the conversion.
The Warriors were offered a rare reprieve by Keatley seconds later, the playmaker shanking his penalty attempt after the Glasgow scrum went down.
Keatley wasn't so forgiving with his next attempt, brought about by the Scots taking down a maul. Those three points took the score to Munster 24-16 Warriors.
Weir replaced Jackson at stand-off in the 55th minute, and quickly opened his account with a straightforward penalty awarded for Munster offside.
With Glasgow again getting into referee Nigel Owens' bad books at the breakdown, Keatley cancelled out Weir's effort from the left of centre.
Undettered, the Warriors worked their way back down the field and forced a Munster error, the men in red preventing release. Weir's kick wasn't the most convincing, but the combined will of the Warriors support urged it over the crossbar and Glasgow were back within five points once more.
Their task became all the harder with almost precisely ten minutes remaining when Federico Aramburu paid the price for his team's string of perceived misdemeanours, being sent to the sin bin after referee Owens spotted him lying on the wrong side of a ruck. Keatley's penalty took the score to Munster 30-22 Warriors.
Replacement scrum-half Conor Murray went over in the corner late on to seal the deal, but the further late heroics from Hogg could still prove vital in the long run.
Munster: 15 Felix Jones; 14 Luke O’Dea, 13 Johne Murphy, 12 Lifeimi Mafi, 11 Simon Zebo; 10 Ian Keatley, 9 Tomas O’Leary; 1 Wian du Preez, 2 Mike Sherry, 3 Stephen Archer, 4 Donncha O’Callaghan, 5 Mick O’Driscoll (CAPTAIN), 6 Donnacha Ryan, 7 Tommy O’Donnell, 8 Peter O’Mahony
Substitutes: 16 Damien Varley, 17 Marcus Horan, 18 John Ryan, 19 Billy Holland, 20 Paddy Butler, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Scott Deasy, 23 Ivan Dineen
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Peter Murchie; 14 Federico Aramburu, 13 Stuart Hogg, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Colin Shaw; 10 Ruaridh Jackson, 9 Chris Cusiter; 1 Jon Welsh, 2 Pat MacArthur, 3 Mike Cusack, 4 Richie Gray, 5 Al Kellock (CAPTAIN), 6 Rob Harley, 7 Chris Fusaro, 8 Johnnie Beattie
Substitutes: 16 Dougie Hall, 17 Ryan Grant, 18 Moray Low, 19 Tom Ryder, 20 Calum Forrester, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Tommy Semyour
Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU)
 
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This article was posted on 14-Apr-2012, 21:49 by Hugh Barrow.