Glasgow Warriors | Glasgow Warriors v Leinster
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September 06, 2014

Glasgow Warriors 22 - 20 Leinster

GUINNESS PRO12 match played at Scotstoun on Saturday September 6th 2014 | No comments

Josh Strauss went over for Glasgow's third try
Glasgow Warriors opened their PRO12 campaign with a win over champions Leinster thanks to a last-gasp penalty.

The Warriors led 19-3 at half-time but Leinster fought back to take the lead with just a couple of minutes left on the clock. The Warriors worked their way back down the field and forced the penalty which Stuart Hogg kicked to give them the win.

Glasgow dominated the first half and their adventurous play was rewarded with tries from Peter Horne, Jonny Gray and Josh Strauss, with Henry Pyrgos converting two. They came very close to getting a bonus-point try but it proved elusive as Leinster gradually came into game.

Jimmy Gopperth added a penalty to one in the first half from Ian Maddigan for the visitors. Then in a two-minute period Leinster scored tries through Jack McGrath and Tom Denton. With Gopperth converting both, Leinster led 20-19 with four minutes left, but Glasgow's blushes were spared by a penalty from replacement Hogg well after the 80 minutes had registered.

The game got under way with probably the quickest replacement of the season, in just 42 seconds. The unfortunate man was Leinster centre Noel Reid who went down under a tackle with a leg injury, to be subbed by Ian Madigan.

Glasgow centre Mark Bennett missed a long penalty in the ninth minute but the hosts looked the most adventurous in the early exchanges and this approach brought the opening try in the 17th minute, through stand-off Horne.

The move came following a disrupted Leinster scrum, with Bennett and Pyrgos involved before left winger Tommy Seymour offloaded in the tackle for Horne to score, which Pyrgos then converted.

Gopperth then missed a straightforward penalty for the visitors and soon after dropped a simple pass.

From the scrum, in the 25th minute, Glasgow sparkled before Gray was heaved over from short range with Pyrgos unable to convert.

Six minutes later the third Glasgow try was dotted down, by Strauss who broke a tackle 30 metres out and ran in for Pyrgos to convert.

Madigan got Leinster on the board with a penalty in the 33rd minute but the half ended with Strauss held up on the visitors' line and Pyrgos unable to convert the subsequent penalty.

Despite coming close from the restart Glasgow could not get the bonus-point try and Leinster's first attack of the second half, in the 51st minute, ended with Gopperth kicking a penalty.

Glasgow's backline was disrupted with the loss through injury of both Horne and centre Alex Dunbar, with Hogg and Sean Lamont coming on.

As the 70th minute approached Leinster established themselves around the home 22 and in a two-minute period scored two tries to take the lead.

First, the pack got over from a line-out with McGrath credited. Then another pack replacement Denton got hold of the ball at a line-out and dived over. Gopperth converted both scores.

Glasgow responded by going to the Leinster line where immense pressure was finished off by a penalty kicked by Hogg to win the game.


Referee Nigel Owens (Wales)
Attendance 5,725
Man of the Match Jonny Gray
Team
1
Alex Allan
2
Fraser Brown
3
Euan Murray
4
Jonny Gray
5
Leone Nakarawa
6
Robert Harley
7
Chris Fusaro
8
Josh Strauss
9
Henry Pyrgos
10
Peter Horne
11
Lee Jones
12
Alex Dunbar
13
Mark Bennett
14
Tommy Seymour
15
Peter Murchie
Sub
Pat MacArthur
Sub
Gordon Reid
Sub
Rossouw de Klerk
Sub
Tim Swinson
Sub
Adam Ashe
Sub
Nikola Matawalu
Sub
Stuart Hogg
Sub
Sean Lamont
Match Substitutions
Off On
Alex Dunbar Stuart Hogg
Off On
Fraser Brown Pat MacArthur
Off On
Alex Allan Gordon Reid
Off On
Henry Pyrgos Nikola Matawalu
Off On
Leone Nakarawa Tim Swinson
Off On
Peter Horne Sean Lamont
Off On
Euan Murray Rossouw de Klerk
Off On
Chris Fusaro Adam Ashe
Scorers
Peter Horne Try 
Henry Pyrgos Conversion
Jonny Gray Try 
Josh Strauss Try 
Henry Pyrgos Conversion
Stuart Hogg Penalty