Munster face a long trip home after this sucker punch defeat
Jonny Gray’s 72nd minute try was the crucial score in a game that Munster may feel they left slip through their hands as they went down by 21-18 at Scotstoun.
A failure to score for the entire second half is the biggest red alert for Anthony Foley in a game that Munster probably could ill-afford to lose after two defeats in Europe.
Two penalty misses from JJ Hanrahan midway through the second half proved very costly as the home side drove on for the win having trailed by 18-9 at the break.
The Kerryman was in outstanding form in the opening 40 minutes, scoring a neat try in the seventh minute. However, Munster then faced a huge test after just 20 gone when Paul O’Connell was sinbinned for a bizarre incident as he was deemed to have interfered in a ruck illegally driving for the try line while on his hands and knees.
The Munster captain claimed he was going for the ball on the line but the ref disagreed and he spent 10 minutes looking on as Hanrahan notched another penalty to make it 11-9 heading to break.
The first half then concluded when Robin Copeland drove over from close to the line to hand the away side a double score advantage at the break.
Glasgow were a team transformed after half time as they kept the pressure up on Munster and a try from Leone Nakarawa was converted by Finn Russell made it a two point game after 52 minutes.
Hanrahan had a chance to reply almost immediately for the visitors but missed his attempt at the posts and his second miss on 62 proved massively costly as Munster began to struggle with Jonny Gray causing all sorts of havoc.
The home side had all the momentum and despite Russell missing the conversion for Gray’s try, Munster slumped to another loss on their travels.
Not what they needed ahead of the beginning of the inter-pro festive fixtures.
