Defeat to Munster confirms worst Glasgow start in 15 years

Glasgow have made their worst start to a league campaign in 15 years after slumping to a 27-13 defeat against Munster at Scotstoun. Danny Wilson’s team have won just one of their opening six Guinness PRO14 fixtures so far, equalling the wretched run posted by Hugh Campbell’s team back in 2005/06 when the club finished bottom of the old Celtic League.

Munster clinched victory thanks to four lineout drives, with Billy Holland, Fineen Wycherley, Gavin Coombes and Jean Kleyn all crossing the whitewash to maintain the Conference B leaders’ 100 per cent start to the campaign.

Glasgow did pull within two points of their Limerick rivals late on after tries from Glenn Bryce and Grant Stewart but it was Munster smiling at the end of a game that threatened to boil over more than once.

While Warriors struggled to cope with the wind and rain swirling around Scotstoun in the opening ten minutes, with skipper Ryan Wilson twice letting Stewart’s lineout throws slip through his fingers, Munster had no such difficulty making their set-piece stick.

The opening points came on eleven minutes as Warriors overcommitted with their blitz defence, allowing Holland to crash through for a try converted by Ben Healy. However, the response from Wilson’s men was immediate. Sean Kennedy delayed his pass for a moment before releasing Tommy Seymour charging through the middle.

The former Scotland wing overthrew his pass but Robbie Nairn did well to scoop it off the floor before popping on to Bryce to flop over the line for his first league try in three and a half years. Pete Horne missed the conversion but Brandon Thomson was on target as he nailed a huge penalty from the halfway line soon after to put Glasgow in front.

Having had such joy with the line-out early on, it was not surprising to see Munster return to their trusty ploy again as they scored their second touchdown with a re-run of the first, this time with Wycherley getting across the line.

Healy’s conversion came back off the post to leave Munster 12-8 ahead at the break. Glasgow started the second period in a generous mood as they coughed up penalties and possession. However, Healy could only slot one of the three attempts he made at the posts in the first ten minutes of the second period.

And when Warriors sorted their discipline out, they were able to pin Munster back in the same corner from which the visitors got their first-half scores. It proved to be just as fruitful an area for Wilson’s team with 15 minutes left as hooker Stewart eventually bundled his way through the defence of the Irish province, who were down to 14 men after Holland was sin-binned for his team’s repeated illegal attempts to halt the hosts’ advance.

Glasgow still trailed, however, as Thomson failed to convert while Ryan Wilson sparked a melee when he dived on Munster scrum-half Craig Casey to earn a yellow of his own. With the numbers evened up, Munster put daylight between the teams with ten minutes left as another lineout drive softened up Glasgow before Coombes steamed over for a try converted by Healy.

The forwards again did the damage moments later as Kleyn broke down the blindside to seal a bonus-point victory.