6-Try Munster Beat URC Leaders Glasgow In Cork

Munster ran in six tries to oust Glasgow Warriors in an entertaining BTK United Rugby Championship contest in front of a full house at Musgrave Park on Friday night.

Player of the Match Tom Ahern led the way with a brace of tries but table-toppers Glasgow Warriors produced five tries of their own, all coming from the maul.

Munster, bidding to bounce back from the loss to Leinster, got on top from the outset and ran in three excellent tries in the opening 16 minutes.

Edwin Edogbo took his haul to three this season when he drove over after three penalties to the left corner after seven minutes after Gavin Coombes was stopped just short of the line.

Jack Crowley converted for the perfect start and Munster pushed on from there when Glasgow were reduced to 14 when loosehead prop Nathan McBeth was issued with a yellow card.

Full-back Shane Daly chipped over the cover for 6’9” Ahern to catch and get over in the left corner.

Crowley was this time unable to add the extras but he converted after 16 minutes when Munster struck for their third try with another flowing movement with Sean O’Brien, Ahern and Casey all playing big roles before captain Diarmuid Barron got in for his tenth Munster try. Crowley’s convert pushed the lead out to 19-0.

Glasgow hit back and a penalty to the right corner from Duncan Weir provided a good platform with Sione Vailanu getting the touchdown from the lineout maul.

Munster finished the half strongly and secured the bonus point when Ahern was out wide again to score after good work from Antoine Frisch and Coombes to lead 26-5 at the break.

This season’s URC top scorer, Glasgow hooker Johnny Matthews, got in for his eighth try of the campaign two minutes after the restart but the Munster response was good.

Alex Nankivell got his first Munster try when he took a direct line to score while they had a penalty advantage. Crowley converted to make it 33-10 after 49 minutes, with the Scottish again temporarily reduced to 14 when tighthead Lucio Sordoni was sent to the sin bin.

New signing from Crusaders Oli Jager came on to make his Munster debut after 52 minutes before Glasgow hit back with a brace of tries, the first from Rory Darge and the second a penalty try which earned Tadhg Beirne a yellow card and reduced the margin to 33-22 with 18 minutes remaining.

Munster though did not panic and they killed off any notions of the comeback when John Hodnett tapped a penalty and drove over with Jager and Dave Kilcoyne on his shoulders after 66 minutes.

Glasgow Warriors got in for a fifth try in the closing minutes when replacement hooker Angus Fraser squeezed over to score.

Munster: Shane Daly; Calvin Nash, Antoine Frisch, Alex Nankivell, Seán O’Brien; Jack Crowley (Rory Scannell, 70), Craig Casey (Conor Murray, 61); Jeremy Loughman (Dave Kilcoyne, 52), Diarmuid Barron (Scott Buckley, 44), Stephen Archer (Oli Jager, 52); Edwin Edogbo (Fineen Wycherley, 62), Tadhg Beirne; Tom Ahern (Alex Kendellen, 57), John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.