Match report: Glasgow Warriors 43 Leinster 25 - Leinster Rugby
Two late tries ensured Leinster Rugby left empty-handed from Scotstoun in the BKT United Rugby Championship on a sun-drenched Sunday.
Glasgow quickly accommodated a number of their Scotland World Cup contributors to augment those troops left behind to prepare for the club season.
The home side quickly got to the edge through sharp passing, Jordan Larmour smartly whipping the legs from under Kyle Steyn.
Playing on a penalty advantage, Glasgow opted for the corner where they compromised their position by blocking at the lineout.
The speed of the recycle and the passes put Leinster in a bind until Charlie Ngatai caused a knock-on.
However, it was clear the Irish province couldn’t continue to play without the ball, a knee on the ground at the scrum offering Glasgow an avenue to a 5-metre lineout.
Max Deegan disrupted the throw and John McKee clamped down for a penalty at a subsequent breakdown.
Tommy O’Brien almost made something out of nothing from a chip and chase before Rory Darge broke away from a tackle to find Josh McKay for the first try, converted by Tom Jordan in the 14th minute.
An immediate obstruction on Ciaran Frawley from the restart allowed Harry Byrne to strike a penalty.
There was a better flow to Leinster’s continuity, a side-entry to the ruck providing Byrne with his second penalty.
The Scots’ transition into attack was greased by Gregor Brown’s ball off the floor for Sebastian Cancilliere to avoid Liam Turner’s tackle for 12-6 in the 21st minute.
A Leinster scrum penalty opened the way for Lee Barron, on for the injured John McKee, to arrow a lineout, setting Ngatai up to lead the charge down the middle.
There was enough patience to rack up the phases on the fringes for Jack Boyle to ground the ball, Byrne’s conversion giving Leinster the lead for the first time.
When Stafford McDowall hacked on a loose ball, it fell fortuitously for Huw Jones to beat the last man home. Jordan converted for 19-13 in the 35th minute.
The scrum was becoming increasingly significant for the Warriors, a penalty there leading to a lineout and maul which Angus Fraser finished for the bonus-point try.
Straight away, Deegan’s agile turnover enabled Leinster to plumb the corner, forcing three penalties without finding a way through to leave it 24-13 at the half.
Leinster used the break wisely, coming out with a good deal of purpose to establish a positive field position.
Barron’s throw was taken in by Ross Molony and Barron shot off the back of a maul for the try, converted by Byrne in the 46th minute.
A Deegan steal at the lineout, a spicy Tommy O’Brien carry and a Ngatai’s drive drew a penalty which was soon translated into a yellow card when Canilliere pawed at Scott Penny’s pass to Barron.
Another penalty led to another lineout and an attacking sequence that ended with Boyle being held up over the line.
Rory Maguire and Paddy McCarthy were introduced for their debuts. But, it was the impact of George Horne, for his 100th cap, that paid an immediate return, streaking into the right corner for the try and a touchline conversion.
Good decisions by Cormac Foley and Frawley on the ball created a line of sight for Turner to reach for the line, referee Craig Evans judging there was a foot in touch.
It looked like a pivotal moment. Leinster’s next-ball mentality meant they came again at a rate of knots, stalled by Johnny Matthews’ steal.
Still, the visitors held their nerve well enough to move with menace, Sam Prendergast’s pass over the top taken to the whitewash by O’Brien for 29-25 in the 71st minute.
However, Leinster were undone by a driving maul which came at the double cost of a try to Matthews, converted by Horne, and a yellow card for Jordan Larmour.
Then, there was a sense of ‘deja vu’ as another Glasgow maul powered towards the line for a penalty try, Brian Deeney seeing yellow to reduce Leinster to 13 men at the final whistle.
Scorers:
Glasgow – G Horne try, 2 cons; J McKay, S Cancilliere, H Jones, A Fraser, J Matthews try each; Pen try; T Jordan 2 cons.
Leinster – J Boyle, L Barron, T O’Brien try each; H Byrne 2 pens, 2 cons.
Glasgow Warriors:
15. Josh McKay 14. Sebastian Cancilliere 13. Huw Jones 12. Stafford McDowall 11. Kyle Steyn (CAPTAIN) / Duncan Weir 51 mins 10. Tom Jordan 9. Jamie Dobie / George Horne 51 mins
1. Ollie Kebble / Nathan McBeth 51 mins 2. Angus Fraser / Johnny Matthews 51 mins 3. Zander Fagerson / Lucio Sordoni 70 mins 4. Greg Peterson 5. Scott Cummings / Alex Samuel 75 mins 6. Gregor Brown / Thomas Gordon 64 mins 7. Rory Darge 8. Henco Venter / Ally Millar 52 mins
Leinster:
15. Ciarán Frawley 14. Tommy O’Brien 13. Liam Turner / Sam Prendergast 66 mins 12. Charlie Ngatai 11. Jordan Larmour 10. Harry Byrne 9. Luke McGrath / Cormac Foley 50 mins
1. Jack Boyle / Paddy McCarthy 50 mins 2. John McKee / Lee Barron 25 mins 3. Thomas Clarkson / Rory McGuire 50 mins 4. Ross Molony 5. Jason Jenkins / Brian Deeney 50 mins 6. Max Deegan 7. Scott Penny (CAPTAIN) / Will Connors 73 mins 8. James Culhane / Rhys Ruddock 50 mins
Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)
