Munster Brought Down To Earth

Just seven days after they lowered the colours of the title holders Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Munster were brought down to earth with a bang when they were soundly beaten by Glasgow Warriors

Just seven days after they lowered the colours of the title holders Neath-Swansea Ospreys, Munster were brought down to earth with a bang when they were soundly beaten by Glasgow Warriors in front of an ecstatic Hughenden crowd. The home side started the day second from bottom in the league table, but produced a fiercely passionate committed display to take maximum points thanks to the four tries they scored, three of those in the opening half.

And to add to Munster woes if that were possible, Anthony Horgan limped out of the action in the second half to put the tin-hat on a miserable evening for the visitors. The extent of the Horgan injury will not be known until he has had a scan (Mon) but the initial damage may have been done in the first half when Euan Murray collided with Horgan s knee, the Warriors prop losing consciousness for a period of time. Play was held up for almost ten minutes but happily Murray was led from the field and removed to the Western Infirmary from where it was later reported that his condition was nothing more serious than concussion.

When play resumed, Munster had the put in just outside the Warriors 22. They moved the ball along the backs, coughed up possession and Warriors went downfield for Dan Parks to land a penalty and stretch the lead to 10 points. That in essence was the story of this game with the Warriors making merry while Munster made mistakes.

Parks added another penalty before Rory Lamont latched onto his out-halfs cross-field kick to score in the right-hand corner. Their third try came again off a Munster attack that broke down – when Horgan was adjudged to have knocked on as he attempted to gather in his own 22, although it did look from the stands that the ball had in fact gone forward off his boot. From the resultant scrum Andrew Wilson barged his way over and Parks added the extras to leave his side 25-3 up.

Munster laid siege to the Warriors line in the closing stages of the half but had nothing to show for their effort, what looked a gilt-edged opportunity going a-begging when Warriors centre Andy Craig thwarting a three on two with a deliberate knock-on that earned no censure from referee Nigel Owens.

With Ronan O Gara, Anthony Foley and Mike Prendergast introduced at the break, Munster upped the pace and were rewarded when Owens finally lost patience with Warriors constant off-side and awarded a penalty try.

However, Parks applied the coup de grace with a clever little chip-through for Mike Roberts to score under the sticks and from then on despite their best efforts John Kelly a 48^th minute replacement for Horgan coming closest Munster were unable to make it across the Warriors line.

Munster: S Payne; B Murphy, R Henderson (A Foley 40 min), T Halstead, A Horgan (J Kelly 88 min); P Burke (40 min), F Murphy (40 min); M Horan, F Sheahan (J Flannery 74 min), F Pucciariello (T Buckley 67 min); T Hogan, M O’Driscoll (D O’Callaghan 50 min); A Quinlan, D Wallace, D Leamy.

Referee: Nigel Owens.