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March 28, 2009

Glasgow Warriors 13 - 26 Munster

GUINNESS PRO12 match played at Firhill on Friday March 27th 2009 | 26 comments

Kelly Brown was one of the few players to emerge with pass marks
Munster underlined their strength in depth by wrecking Glasgow's hopes of a winning return to Magners League action.

Flanker Niall Ronan emerged as the destroyer in chief for the visitors with a hat-trick of touchdowns to knock the stuffing out of the hosts.

It was the Warriors first home defeat at the hands of an Irish side for almost three years - and Munster certainly showed no signs of a hangover from their nation's Grand Slam triumph less than a week earlier.

In the wake of a scrappy start, the contest burst into life with a three-try burst in a frantic seven-minute spell.

Glasgow surged ahead with a touchdown which featured the vision of Johnnie Beattie, the brilliance of Max Evans and the pace of Loma Fa'atau.

Beattie caught the Munster defence on the hop with a quick tapped penalty before Dan Parks linked with Evans, who left his markers for dead with a slight jink inside and remarkable change of speed.

His elusiveness created the time and space for Fa'atau to celebrate his return from injury by cruising to the line.

As so often happens, the side who scored let their concentration level drop and almost immediately the Irish side snatched the initiative.

Ronan took advantage of a sloppy tackle attempt by Kelly Brown and powered to the line, giving Paul Warwick a simple conversion.

Brown the villain became Brown the hero as he made instant amends with a gutsy solo try - awarded on the advice of the video referee.

However, another piece of slack defending allowed Munster to retake the lead with Keith Earls the man who finished in style - Warwick again slotting the goal.

At the other end, Parks was having a wretched time with the boot, missing four straightforward attempts.

But he rediscovered his touch a couple of minutes from the interval with the penalty that closed the gap to a single point.

Munster were a man down at the restart, having had James Coughlan yellow-carded for killing the ball in the incident which led to the Parks kick.

Then came the moment of cruel luck which set Glasgow back on their heels.

A freak ricochet enabled Munster to claim a scrum five metres from the line, and again it was Ronan who wriggled through the tight gap to notch his double.

And even better was to come from Ronan as he completed his treble when the pack rumbled over, with Warwick converting to make the final gap 13 points.

After the game, a despondent Warriors head coach, Sean Lineen, said: "I think the physicality got to the guys, I think they bullied us in the end.

"They were too strong for us at the contact, we didn't make enough headway.

"The forwards didn't get into the game enough, the ball carrying didn't happen. That's the problem and these guys have to learn.

"The guys have to take a long, hard look at themselves - we all do - and look at where we are at the moment. We let the crowd down tonight. It was a fantastic crowd.

"Ultimately, there's no-one that can walk away happy from the Warriors tonight. It's a really bad day at the office."

Referee T. Hayes(WRU)
Attendance 3,651
Team
1
Justin Va'a
2
Fergus Thomson
3
Moray Low
4
Tim Barker
5
Alastair Kellock
6
James Eddie
7
Kelly Brown
8
John Beattie
9
Mark McMillan
10
Dan Parks
11
Colin Shaw
12
Ruaridh Jackson
13
Max Evans
14
Lome Fa'atau
15
Bernardo Stortoni
Sub
Dougie Hall
Sub
Kevin Tkachuk
Sub
Dan Turner
Sub
Calum Forrester
Sub
Colin Gregor
Sub
Jose Maria Nunez Piossek
Sub
Peter Horne
Match Substitutions
Off On
John Beattie Calum Forrester
Off On
Bernardo Stortoni Colin Gregor
Off On
Fergus Thomson Dougie Hall
Off On
Tim Barker Dan Turner
Off On
Justin Va'a Kevin Tkachuk
Off On
Dan Parks Peter Horne
Off On
Mark McMillan Jose Maria Nunez Piossek
Scorers
Lome Fa'atau Try 
Dan Parks Penalty
Kelly Brown Try 
Posted by Bossco85 on March 28, 2009 11:45 AM | Reply to this comment

Awful performance. Im sick and tired now of hearing that this team has promise. Its all we hear in Scotland "We are making progress"..Is it just me or do we seem to be going backwards? The forwards got totally dismantled from the get go, there was no energy or go forward! Kelly Brown put in a shift apart from his missed tackle for a try but he was the only forward of any note. In the second half once Parks went off there was no shape or leadership on the field! I know he missed his goals but at least we had had some direction when he was on. Max Evans played well as did Shaw but all in all a poor poor performance. The team has too take a long hard look at itself, including Lineen.

Posted by AJPatterson on March 28, 2009 12:16 PM | Reply to this comment

Ah well, season's probably over in any meaningful form now, time to build for the future.

I didn't think the pack was that bad - it was the worst example of "famous team" refereeing I've seen in a long time and most of the decisions seemed to go Munster's way despite some very dodgy stuff from their pack.

Sorry, Sean but who in their right mind would put Budgie at full back? He's a good scrum half, and we had Shawzy, Peter Horne, Ruaridh and Dan who have all played successfully at FB in the past. It looked to me like that was the problem for two of the tries.

Still, it was great to get rugby back on a Friday night. Bring on the Italians so we can have that more often!

Posted by Derek on March 28, 2009 01:33 PM | Reply to this comment

It does seem the only thing we hear in Scotland are that things are moving forward and we are developing well etc. I agree that its time to start producing, we seem to be constantly building for the future!

At Glasgow its been overall a poor season (so far). We had the win against Toulouse which was superb and really not much else bar the odd good performace against Cardiff and Leinster at Home and Munster and Bath away from Firhill.(although we lost).

Is it that we mental issues? We seem to only perform when we having nothing to play for and nothing is expected of us. Or is it we are simply not good enough? and we only win these games because the opposition take us too lightly?

We really need to get a couple of forwards in for next season, the front five needs some strength in it, last night proved it again. If there are no exiles available then it may be we look abroad for some short term replacements.

This is not just based on last night as even with so many players missing Munster will beat far better teams than us. The League table rarley lies at this stage of the season and come the next time we play we could easily be in second bottom position!

Posted by mediumsizedal on March 28, 2009 05:25 PM | Reply to this comment

Sorry AJ-the pack were that bad! I think that was the worst performance I have seen for a long time. Totally outplayed and out-thought, and I don't think Munster were that good. Only Brown & Evans performed-Munster were faster, fitter, more committed, harder & played the ref better, and that was their second's pack. The table does not lie-if Dragons beat Connacht Glasgow will be second bottom next weekend. This team is capable of the occasional good result-but not enough of them. Apart from the French pre season they have played 21 games and won 7-a 33% record. In the ML only 2 teams have scored fewer points & only 2 teams have conceded more. The stats don't lie-this is not a team going places, except down. We need more strength & tactical awareness in the forwards, probably a couple of props, a couple of second row & a dirty great, hard, ball carrying number 8. I've been a Parks fan for a long time, but must admit he's gone off the boil-we probably need a stand-off as well-don't think Jackson will be the answer for quite some time. Where these players are is anyones guess, & with money the way it is we will no doubt have to soldier on with more or less the same forwards next season, but it is pretty pointless signing Dewey & Cusiter if we don't have the forward platform. I will still support the boys & get behind them for every game, but by this point in a disappointing season, frustration is getting the better of optimism!! Roll on the next home game-we'll beat Ulster.

Posted by liviwarrior on March 28, 2009 06:27 PM | Reply to this comment

I hate being critical of the team but last night really was a big disappointment. We had a chance to win against a second string Munster side but my how we seemed to miss guys like Morrison, Barclay and Tom Evans. I agree Kelly and Max put in a shift but there were 13 other players on the park. The loss of Beattie early in the game did not help, nor did the loss of Bernie who had been excellent under the high ball. I presume Beattie picked up and injury as he charged through to set up the try? So much pressure on Dan during the lead up to this game and he left his kicking boots at home - he must have been brassed off as he did not even appear in the lounge after the game to collect last month's award.

Muster were in our faces and we played the ball far too square with some passes telegraphed and asking for trouble. Thought we had a great start and were still in the game up until half time then we just seemed to lose the plot. Dougie Hall gave as a bit more penetration when he came on but it was too late in the game.

At least next game we are (should) be back to full strengh!!!

Posted by Alsfan on March 28, 2009 10:49 PM | Reply to this comment

Thom was injured .. but where were Morrison and Barclay? Sunbathing somewhere?

Posted by monster_munch on March 29, 2009 06:32 PM | Reply to this comment

Alsfan stop being a complete and utter t*t.

Posted by monster_munch on March 29, 2009 06:33 PM | Reply to this comment

Alsfan stop being a complete and utter t*t.

Posted by Alsfan on March 29, 2009 10:42 PM | Reply to this comment

MM ... I am a fan also of G-dog and Punch... but they made the wrong decision to rest (assuming Sean would have played them, and why not?) .. it contributed to us losing this game which was crucial to our Magners.. My point is ..why and do they care? The Evans boys and our other international players made themselves available. The Edinburgh international players turned out as did the England players. Punch didn't even get picked last week.. so, if it was his decision not to play for Glasgow, what am I supposed to think?

Posted by j on March 30, 2009 05:21 AM | Reply to this comment

did it ever occur that they may have NEEDED the rest?
it would be nice if you stopped to think, 'maybe i am just trying to find something to complain about this time...' and piped down for once.

Posted by Alsfan on March 30, 2009 09:57 PM | Reply to this comment

"for once" .. I pipe down most of the time!
How come the others didn't NEED the rest? . no-one else took the rest they could have had. That is my point. The others turned out. I really like JB but he has not actually played for a while since not selected (he should have been but that is not the point)
Of course I won't hold it against them, but it does say something about their commitment to Warriors Magners campaign.

Posted by j on March 31, 2009 12:55 AM | Reply to this comment

do you think that everyones body is exactly the same and all people recover at exactly the same rate?

Posted by jinty on April 1, 2009 07:33 PM | Reply to this comment

Could they have been in Hong Kong as club ambassadors?

Posted by The Briar on March 29, 2009 04:10 AM | Reply to this comment

I think this comes down to an awful coaching effort. I understand that Dan missed a few kicks that he probably should have slotted over but at least they were creating the opportunities when he was on the field. I dont understand why munster score 2 tries close to the ruck and through the forwards and in the coaching box they make a decision to take off one of there main leaders in Dan, he did not look tired to me. It is just an aweful decision by the coaching team and they need to have a big look at themselves. If you want a chance to win you need someone on the field that can create opportunities you cannot make these stupid decisions because the clock reaches a certain time and your little book of knowledge shows that it is time for replacements. Just because reserves are there Sean doesn't mean you have to use them, that is why they are on the bench because the players on the field have shown you that they are better.

Posted by mad al on March 29, 2009 10:41 AM | Reply to this comment

Got to agree with most comments. Thought we missed a proper inside centre - ruaridh is gonna be a great 10 but hasn't got anywhere near the physicality to play 12 as friday showed. Why was Morrison not playing - noticed that shanklin, tindall etc all played despite being very involved in 6n.

Posted by mad al on March 29, 2009 10:42 AM | Reply to this comment

Got to agree with most comments. Thought we missed a proper inside centre - ruaridh is gonna be a great 10 but hasn't got anywhere near the physicality to play 12 as friday showed. Why was Morrison not playing - noticed that shanklin, tindall etc all played despite being very involved in 6n.

Posted by Derek on March 29, 2009 11:39 AM | Reply to this comment

I agree with what liviwarrior has to say, we really need to strengthen in the pack, if their are no exiles available then we will need to bring in some Non Scots Qualified guys. We need strength to allow us to compete with teams, there is no point he SRU spending money on keeping the Evans boys and bringing back Cuister etc if they are not going to get any decent ball to play with.

Sean said last week that he hopes to bring in some more new faces for next season after Dewey was signed. I hope this happens but if he means a couple of young guys from the club scene then I am afraid we may be looking at another struggle next year.

On a slightly different matter we know players require to be rested at certain times. However I cant help thinking that doing it in a Home game when we are trying to build crowds at Firhill is a strange one.

Few others teams rest players at home unless of course they have a massive HC game the following week.

Anyway lets hope we can finish strongly this season, 14 points from our last 5 games should be the aim.

Posted by DrGreg on March 29, 2009 08:35 PM | Reply to this comment

On the resting players issue, I read somewhere that the the SRU offered the 6N players the opportunity to take some time off afterwards and that Morrison and Barclay availed themselves of the chance. The emphasis being that the players decided for themselves rather than the clubs letting them off.

Posted by goose on March 30, 2009 04:15 PM | Reply to this comment

On resting players - in a recent interview with Seam on BBC.co.uk/sport, he mentioned that resting Morrison and Barclay was decided months ago by the coaches and players. Definitely not a case of these guys turning up to training on Monday and saying that they wanted a night off on Friday.
Also, teams like Munster have the luxury of having top-class talent playing for them every week without the impact of the 6 Nations (Howlett, Warwick, Mafi etc.). Not a luxury available in Scotland. Bottom line, other teams in the Magners have a lot of depth. Resting players should not be an issue.

Posted by Derek on March 30, 2009 06:59 PM | Reply to this comment

Dont have an issue with players being rested, its got to happen. Just think where possible we play our strongest squad at home.

There was a good crowd (by our standards) there on Friday night, if we want to build the club we need people coming through the gates and best way to do that is giving yourself the best chance of winning games (or at least put in a decent performance)so people come back.

Posted by liviwarrior on March 30, 2009 08:42 PM | Reply to this comment

I agree - it was not just the 6N games that were played but the intense training that the players undertook (albeit to little avail)that took their toll. There are certain positions that take their physical toll on players more than others. Hopefully G Dog and JB are back raring to go on Friday along with Thom.

Great crowd on Friday as well considering the game was live on Setanta.

Not sure how bad Beattie's injury was on Friday, but I hope he is fit for this week, otherwise I suspect we will see Kelly move to 8 with Eddie at 6 and JB back at 7. Hope Bernie has receovered as well.

Posted by Alsfan on March 30, 2009 10:01 PM | Reply to this comment

They don't actually play till Saturday, livi .. so, is that enough of a rest? ; .. I'll pipe down now! :)

Posted by j on March 31, 2009 12:58 AM | Reply to this comment

yeh..i wasnt going to say anything but friday was apparently going to be to soon. saturday should be fine though.

Posted by manattheback on March 31, 2009 09:01 AM | Reply to this comment

Current medical thinking is that it takes a full ten days to recover from a Test match nowadays and if you factor in the cumulative effect of games played then, yes, some players will need a break after a 6N campaign. Player welfare is all too often ignored - remember this is not a contact sport but a collision sport.

Posted by weebaw on March 31, 2009 03:09 PM | Reply to this comment

The Briar talks utter garbage. Parks was awful and should have been subbed far earlier. He cant even kick goals any more.Theres no point in him being there if we have flying 3 quarters outside him and no Henderson to gratefully receive his hospital passes.

Not sure who missed the tackles for 1st 2 tries which proved decisive. Can anyone advise?

Lineen could tell it wasnt working so committed subs but the game was going at that time. Shaw should have been moved to full back with Jackson at fly half.

The front five are far too nice! Moray needs to get menacing and we need a bogging grunter to support Kellock.

Was disappointed in Eddie and Forrester. Their no 7 showed them the standard required at this level.


Posted by Alistair Hutton on April 1, 2009 10:35 AM | Reply to this comment

Dan and Kelly missed the tackles. Dan was hung out to dry on his one by McMillan deciding to cover the blindside for some bizarre reason that I've yet to work out.

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