MUNSTER’S reign as URC champions came to a crashing halt at Thomond Park on Saturday night as Glasgow Warriors upset the odds and seedings to reach next weekend’s Grand Final.
Their victory, thanks to tries from captain Kyle Steyn and teammate Sebastian Cancelliere and inspired by center Sione Tuipulotu, surprised all but a handful of the 20,052 crowd and means the Warriors must now travel to Pretoria to face the Bulls on next Saturday, following the South African. The team’s home semi-final victory over Leinster that same day.
Glasgow, despite losing two players in the first 40 minutes, had led 7-3 at half-time after Steyn’s 24th-minute try, converted by George Horne, had gone against the run of play after Jack Crowley’s 12th-minute penalty with the visitors were reduced to 14 men.
Munster, who had won 10 games in a row before reaching the semi-final, also failed to make Matt Fagerson’s sin-ball count in the first 10 minutes of the second half, Cancelliere’s try also coming when Glasgow were shorthanded.
Antoine Frisch gave the defending champions a lifeline, with Crowley’s conversion making it 14-10, but the Scottish side handled the finish superbly well, helped by a 74th-minute red card for Munster center Alex Nankivell, and he won every part of his post-match. celebrations.
It marked a deeply disappointing end to Simon Zebo’s playing career after he had announced he would retire at the end of the season at the age of 34, while it also marked the final game for RG Snyman, who will join Leinster this summer. after four injury-plagued seasons. in red.
Prospects of an all-Irish grand final next Saturday had disappeared before kick-off after the South African Bulls finished the season in Pretoria, Jake White’s side won 25-20 at Loftus Versfeld and Munster knew they also had a battle on your way. hands to ensure an instant return to the decider they won in Cape Town in May 2023.
Top favorites and with home advantage, they faced a Glasgow team who were fourth in the league standings, but just three points off first place and with fresh memories of a 38-26 league win at Thomond Park in March 2023.
Learn more Munster had lost just once in the URC since that day, against Leinster on December 26, and had won all four of their previous league semi-finals in Limerick, but this proved to be no easy task.
Munster took the entire run in a poor-tempered first half that saw the Warriors see Richie Gray booked in the 12th minute and Matt Fagerson followed just before half-time, but the home side found themselves trailing 7-3 in the rest. .
Jack Crowley had missed a point-blank penalty after four minutes and his team were guilty of wasting several more chances created during long periods of possession.
Gray’s sin-clearing allowed Crowley to make amends from in front of the posts, but as Munster attempted to extend their lead, a mix-up in midfield between Antoine Frisch and Alex Nankivell saw Glasgow captain and left wing Kyle Steyn pounce. on the loose ball and ran under the posts for the opening try on 24 minutes, scrum-half George Horne converted.
Neither team played fluently, the visitors did not help themselves with their lack of discipline while the Munster lineout proved to be their Achilles heel by not being able to take advantage of their territorial advantage on the scoreboard.
The well-documented unrest between the clubs had also resurfaced, led by Peter O’Mahony and Matt Fagerson’s battle during the opening 40 minutes.
It was largely restricted to verbal but when the Warriors flanker high-tackled his nemesis just before half-time he became the second Glasgow player to be sent packing by referee Andrea Piardi.
It gave Munster a 10-minute golden opportunity to fight back after the break, but instead they conceded consecutive penalties and found themselves defending their try line from a Glasgow five-metre lineout and a maul which led to another penalty, returned to the corner.
However, Munster escaped, their captain Tadhg Beirne stealing the lineout and then following up with a jackal to win a ruck penalty.
Graham Rowntree’s decision to remove big guns RG Snyman and Gavin Coombes from his starting group and fill his bench with six forwards had not paid dividends from the start, but the former was part of a three-man cavalry alongside Oli Jager and Diarmuid Barron presented in 45. minutes.
That move was quickly followed by another setback for the champions: Sebastian Cancelliere broke free to score a second Warriors try.
George Horne had missed a penalty moments earlier but made no mistake with the conversion as the visitors opened up a 14-3 lead when Fagerson returned from the sin-bin.
In came Coombes as Munster looked for a spark to ignite the necessary counter-attack, but it was Snyman who delivered, his line break opening up Glasgow before feeding Jeremy Loughman, the loose prop’s strong, quick carry taking the home team to the left corner from where The ball was quickly recycled and a pass from Craig Casey found Frisch to score in the 55th minute.
Crowley converted from close to the touchline to reduce Glasgow’s lead to 14-10 and Munster were back in the hunt.
However, Munster’s enthusiasm led to mistakes, playing into the hands of Glasgow, who gratefully took every opportunity to slow the game down and eat up time.
Winning their first scrum penalty of the match in the 73rd minute helped the cause further as they entered the Munster 22 and won another penalty, Alex Nankivell came in on the flank and then at the behest of the TMO was sent off with a red card for shoulder to head contact. Horne as he bent down to pick up the ball.
Munster were down to 14 for the final six minutes and now needed a converted try to tie the game after Horne scored the penalty from in front of the posts.
Munster worked their way upfield and reached the Glasgow 22 only for replacement John Ryan to unleash a volley from Snyman as the clock passed the 78-minute mark.
Glasgow played the scrum to perfection, running out the remaining time with 80-plus minute restarts as Thomond Park fell eerily silent as Piardi called time, Munster’s tenure as champions coming to a deflated end.
MUNSTER: M Haley; S Daly, A Frisch, A Nankivell (S O’Brien, 46-57 – blood), S Zebo (S O’Brien, 62); J Crowley, C Casey (C Murray, 57); J Loughman (J Ryan, 66), N Scannell (D Barron, 45), S Archer (O Jager, 45); F Wycherley (RG Snyman, 45), T Beirne – captain; P O’Mahony, J Hodnett (A Kendellen, 72), J O’Donoghue (G Coombes, 54).
Red card: A Nankivell 74 GLASGOW WARRIORS: J McKay; S Cancelliere (J Dobie, 56), H Jones, S Tuipulotu, K Steyn – captain; T Jordan, G Horne; J Bhatti (O Kebble, 70), J Matthews (G Turner, 56), Z Fagerson (M Walker, 75); S Cummings, R Gray (M Williamson, 56); M Fagerson (E Ferrie, 61-71 – HIA), R Darge (H Venter, 56), J Dempsey.
Yellow cards: R Gary 12-22, M Fagerson 40-50 Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
