Glasgow Warriors battled their way into the RaboDirect PRO12 final by the narrowest of margins over Munster on a night of nearly unbearable tension at a packed-out Scotstoun.
Prop Gordon Reid, one of the Warriors’ unsung heroes, scored the key try while Finn Russell kept a cool head to kick three penalties and a conversion, but it was the overall defensive effort by the home side that won a famous semi-final victory over the three-time European champions.
Against a strong wind in the second half, the home side threw back wave after wave of attacks by the Irishmen, including a frenetic finish when Munster had the ball for long periods but couldn’t breach the black wall in their way.
A sellout crowd of 10,000, another record for the club, were left waiting until deep into added time before the Warriors finally forced the ball into touch to send the Scotstoun stands into bedlam.
Head coach Gregor Townsend paid tribute to all 23 players, including Sean Lamont who had to fill in as flanker for the last five minutes.
“It’s always a squad effort but never more than tonight,” he said. “Munster came here and played some top quality rugby and we had to match them in every way to beat them.
“I thought it was a great advert for the PRO12 and I’m only glad we have two weeks to recover for the final after a physical contest like that.”
Try hero Gordon Reid credited the record crowd for getting the Warriors over the line at the end.
“Near the end we had guys running on empty from tackle to tackle,” he said. “The noise from the crowd was kept us going to clinch the game.”
A frenetic and physical first half set the tone, producing few try-scoring chances but the best came for the visitors, twice requiring referee Marius Mitrea to have a long dialogue with the TV match official.
Munster didn’t appear to have much punch with the ball when they were in their own half but after a penalty gave them field position inside the Warriors 22 just inside ten minutes, they suddenly turned into a team possessed.
Thunderous charges from the Irish pack eventually led to skipper Damian Varley reaching for the line, although home fans were screaming for action as Keith Earls took Alex Dunbar out off the ball.
The ref had a good look at the scrap and the try before opting in favour of Munster for both, and Ian Keatley converted for a 7-0 lead.
Finn Russell missed a long-range penalty chance for Glasgow but was on target after 16 minutes as Munster’s defence impressively countered every jab the Warriors’ attack made.
But the turning point was when Munster’s Sean Dougall made a telling inside run on to a Kateley pass and was only just hauloed short, and once again Munster had Glasgow backed up, thinking this time Simon Zebo had just made the line for their second try.
However after a protracted delay as TMO Carlo De Masco studied various angles, it was still not clear whether the British Lions wing had scored and Glasgow escaped.
They made good on that in the remaining minutes before half-time, Russell booting a second penalty when CJ Spander killed the ball and then a third to give his side the lead right on half time when Munster took down a scrum.
Glasgow used that momentum still further as the second half started, Russell’s brilliant grubber kick into the corner putting Munster’s backs to the wall, and resulting in a botched lineout.
From the scrum, Chris Cusiter recovered loose ball and reset the attack, and after a few probes Reid, a first half replacement for Ryan Grant, spun off a ruck and stretched to score the try in the corner. Russell landed the conversion from the touchline, a key strike in hindsight.
Despite their 16-7 lead Glasgow were still on the sharp end of the referee’s decisions at the breakdown, and another penalty provided position for Munster to hammer again at the home line, flanker Sean Dougall getting over for the score that went unconverted.
But when Keatley mis-kicked a penalty just inside the posts to reduce the gap to one, and Munster seemed to have the mob hand on possession during the final quarter.
However the Glasgow defence stiffened and didn’t allow the Irishmen another visit into their 22, and it was the Warriors through Fijian replacements Leone Nakarawa and Niko Matawalu who suddenly looked more dangerous.
Tommy Seymour’s interception in the final minutes nearly clinched the game for Glasgow but Munster had one more possession before the defence held again and won the place in the final in a fortnight.
Att: 10,000
Glasgow: P Murchie; S Maitland, M Bennett (R Jackson 66), A Dunbar, T Seymour; F Russell, C Cusiter (N Matawalu 66); R Grant (G Reid 26), D Hall (P MacArthur 52), J Welsh (G Cross 52); J Gray, A Kellock (capt, T Swinson 58); R Harley, C Fusaro (S Lamont 72), J Strauss (L Nakarawa 31).
Munster: F Jones (JJ Hanrahan 38); K Earls, C Laulala (A Conway 10), J Downey, S Zebo; I Keatley, C Murray; D Kilcoyne (J Cronin 66), D Varley (capt), B J Botha; D Foley (D O’Callaghan 66), P O’Connell; C J Stander, S Dougall (P Butler 62), J Coughlan.
Ref:M Mitrea (FIR)