Champions Munster did enough to see off a Glasgow Warriors side who dished out a lesson in mauling in an absorbing URC clash at Musgrave Park.
Most of the running rugby came from Munster but Warriors mauled their way over for five tries and deservedly secured a bonus point at a venue where they have not won in 15 years.
Munster, having fallen 31-0 behind just after half-time when these two met at Thomond Park last March, turned the tables this time round and led 26-5 at the break after producing some blistering rugby in front of a full house of just under 8,500 on a freezing night in Cork.
Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith said they could have few complaints about the result in Cork against the champions.
“Munster forced us into a lot of penalties,” said Smith. “It was not just errors from our side, they forced us in the way they kicked the ball and their continuity and their attack was exceptional tonight.
“They slowed us down and they limited our opportunities. It was a disappointing result from our side but there was enough for us to take forth in the competition,” he added.
Graham Rowntree’s assertion after their loss to Leinster last week that they were playing their best attacking rugby of the season saw them continue that form into this contest and they had three tries on the board in just over 16 minutes.
The champions were on top in all sectors, moving the ball at speed and bossing the breakdown as the league leaders struggled to get into the contest.
Glasgow’s cause was not helped by conceding four penalties in little over a minute, three of them inside their own 22, and it was no surprise when Munster hit the front after seven minutes when academy lock Edwin Edogbo drove over for his third try of the season after a lineout on the left stretched the visitors’ defence with Gavin Coombes making hard yards before being stopped short.
South African referee Marius van der Westhuizen finally lost patience with Glasgow when prop Nathan McBeth took out scrum-half Craig Casey at a ruck for a fifth penalty after eleven minutes and Munster hit them for two tries while he was in the bin.
Full-back Shane Daly chipped over the cover for 6’9” Tom Ahern to catch and get over despite being taken out in the air by scrum-half Sean Kennedy. Referee Van der Westhuizen checked with his officials but did not sanction the scrum-half.
Crowley was unable to convert but he added the extras after 16 minutes when they 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 try for the side. Crowley’s convert pushed the lead out to 19-0.
Glasgow hit back and a superb penalty to the right corner from Duncan Weir provided a good platform in what was really their first meaningful attack of the game after 27 minutes.
Scott Cummings gathered the lineout and Warriors got the perfect drive with Sione Vailanu getting the touchdown. Weir was unable to master the Cork wind and pulled the first of four missed conversions across the posts.
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.
Warriors needed a big start to the second-half and it came from a familiar source. A penalty to the right corner again set up a solid maul and hooker Johnny Matthews drove over for his eighth try of the campaign two minutes after the restart.
However, Munster hit back and centre Alex Nankivell cancelled that try this his first Munster score when he cut a direct line through a pile of bodies with a penalty advantage after 49 minutes, with tighthead Lucio Sordoni binned as Warriors again failed to protect their line.
But it did little to stem the impact of the superb Glasgow maul and after Rory Darge drove through the home rearguard after 55 minutes for their third try to reduce the margin to 33-15.
And the prospect of a remarkable comeback gained momentum when they secured the bonus point and cut the gap to 31-22 after 66 minutes when they were awarded a penalty try after Irish lock Tadhg Beirne was penalised for pulling down a maul and was binned.
Munster though did not panic and they killed off any notions of the comeback when John Hodnett tapped a penalty and drove over with new tighthead signing from the Crusaders Oli Jager on his shoulders 14 minutes from time.
That left Warriors with just too much of a gap to bridge but Franco Smith and his management were given a boost as they now turn their attentions to Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup when they finished on the front foot when they scored their fifth maul try in the dying moments when replacement hooker Angus Fraser got over after another excellent drive from a penalty to the right corner.
Scorers: Munster: Tries: T Ahern (13, 37), E Edogbo (7), D Barron (16), A Nankivell (49), J Hodnett (65). Cons: Crowley (7, 16, 37, 49, 65).
Glasgow Warriors: Tries: S Vailanu (27), J Matthews (42), R Darge (55), A Fraser (78), penalty try (62). Cons: D Weir (78).
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU).
Scoring sequence: Munster first: 5-0, 7-0, 12-0, 17-0, 19-0, 19-5, 24-5, 26-5, half-time; 26-10, 31-10, 33-10, 33-15, 33-20, 33-22, 38-22, 40-22, 40-27, 40-29.
Munster: S Daly; C Nash, A Frisch, A Nankivell, S O'Brien; J Crowley (R Scannell 70), C Casey (C Murray 61); J Loughman (D Kilcoyne 52), D Barron (S Barron 44), S Archer (O Jager 52); E Edogbo (F Wycherley 62), T Beirne; T Ahern (A Kendellen 57), J Hodnett, G Coombes.
Glasgow Warriors: J McKay (Z Fagerson 50-60); K Rowe, S Tuipulotu, S McDowall (c), O Smith (O Kebble 19-21) (T Jordan 38); D Weir, S Kennedy (B Afshar 72); N McBeth (O Kebble 51), J Matthews (A Fraser 72), L Sordoni (Z Fagerson 60); S Manjezi (G Peterson 52), S Cummings; S Vailanu (T Gordon 76), R Darge, H Venter (M Williamson 52).
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU).
Attendance: 8,500
