Munster v Glasgow Warriors: Five takeaways as 'unheralded ...

Following Glasgow Warriors’ 17-10 victory over Munster in the United Rugby Championship semi-finals, here are our five takeaways from the action at Thomond Park.

Much of the pre-match build-up centred around the sheer disdain these two clubs have for one another, and it was on full display throughout the fixture, with every breakdown, tackle and carry possessing an added sprinkling of aggression and vigour.

Peter O’Mahony was up to his usual sh*thousery and trash talk, but the Glasgow charges did not back down for a second, giving as good as they got in what was a truly memorable and tense play-off match in front of a baying Thomond Park faithful.

Kyle Steyn’s first-half score meant the visitors went into the break 7-3 up, with Munster’s solitary points coming through the boot of Jack Crowley. A stunning 51st-minute try from Sebastian Cancelliere put Glasgow into the driving seat, and although Antoine Frisch replied for Munster soon after, Franco Smith’s Warriors held out. It brought the Irish province’s reign to an end with George Horne putting the final nail in the coffin with a penalty after Alex Nankivell’s red card.

There are a few facets of the game that separate international rugby with club rugby but today the contact area was not one of them as the battleground was set in the rucks.

It was furious from start to finish with both sides hardly giving an edge, hammering into every single breakdown with every player adding their weight to battle.

Glasgow got the upper hand with fly-half Tom Jordan thriving, picking up key turnovers for the side at crunch times with the usual suspects – Rory Darge, Matt Fagerson and Jack Dempsey – causing all kinds of havoc for the hosts.

The Scottish outfit’s ability to stifle threatening Munster attacks kept them in the game, particularly when they were down to 14-men for two periods of the match.

Still, Munster were relentless at the breakdown, too, with Tadhg Beirne, O’Mahony, John Hodnett and RG Snyman all getting stuck in, whether it was clearing out bodies in attack or also winning turnovers for their side.

But in the end, the Scottish side got the slightest edge in the crucial facet of the game.

The Warriors played a full quarter of the match down a man with Richie Gray and Matt Fagerson sent to the naughty corner, the former for an accumulation of penalties and the latter for a high shot on O’Mahony.

Still, for both those 10-minute periods, Glasgow came out on top, winning the first 7-3, with Steyn pouncing on a Munster error to punish the Irish side. Cancelliere’s second try also came when the visitors were down a man, with the Argentine brilliantly finishing off the flowing counter-attack.

Smith’s charges really showed their resilience at Thomond Park and were up against the wall on several occasions, with Munster hammering at their defensive line, throwing their abrasive forwards into the Glasgow wall, cracking only once when the Irish side pulled a rabbit out of the hat.

Glasgow Warriors player ratings: Scotland stars shine as Munster shocked by breakdown brilliance

It’s been a stunning second season under Smith, and while Glasgow have been hailed for their attacking brilliance throughout, today, their unheralded defence took centre stage.

Discipline will be a concern going into the final, but the effort was unwavering against a fierce Munster outfit, and their breakdown brilliance got them over the line.

A special word for tighthead prop Zander Fagerson, who topped the tackle count in the match, notching up 16 hits, and while he was given a tough time at the scrum, he impressed around the park in a full 80-minute shift.

It’s been a stunning season for Glasgow, finishing the URC regular season fourth overall and now head into their first final since 2019 against the South African heavyweights, the Bulls, as they bid to end a nine-year wait for a title.

Today’s performance was a microcosm of the season, with their pack fronting up and thriving at the breakdown as the backline sprinkled some magic, with Sione Tuipulotu producing yet another standout player of the match outing and Cancelliere capping off a memorable match with a try.

After winning the URC the hard way last season, claiming away quarter, semi and final victories, Rowntree’s charges kicked off their defence with a mighty regular season, finishing top of the table despite so many injury setbacks.

However, despite having home-ground advantage, they were unable to go back-to-back even though made a mighty fist of it. In the end, they were simply beaten by a more driven side that put in an outstanding defensive performance.

Attention now shifts to the final, where the two underdog semi-finalists battle it out to become the third URC champions, with the tournament getting a new holder in its first three seasons.

The semi-final action saw two teams that were tactically and more emotionally driven came out on top with the Bulls’ attack and kicking game getting them over the line against Leinster, while it was Glasgow’s breakdown and defence edging them past Munster. Moments of brilliance also played pivotal roles, setting up an intriguing final next week.

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