Depleted Glasgow fell to their fourth successive Guinness PRO14 defeat giving up four lineout drive tries to Munster at Scotstoun.
The traditional power up front of the Irishmen was too much for Glasgow’s makeshift side, although they were in the game only two points behind and a man to the good with 15 minutes to play before a crucial yellow card against captain Ryan Wilson.
Two tries followed in the final 10 minutes to give Munster a deserved victory, but it’s barely a fair fight at the moment in the PRO14 given the resources of the Irish teams and the rest, and this match showed it again.
With the wind swirling and rain falling, Glasgow produced a real gem of a try to brighten a murky night.
The visitors’ forward pressure produced two first half tries from their lineout drive, although Danny Wilson will have been annoyed at how easily they forced their way over for tries by captain Billy Holland and back-rower Fineen Wycherley.
Ben Healy converted one from the touchline on an awful night for kicking, but Glasgow scored a real beauty to keep themselves in it.
Tommy Seymour came in off a wraparound move in midfield and darted through the gap left by Springbok centre Damien De Allende, and although the former Scotland wing’s wide pass went to ground, Robbie Nairn scooped it up and fed Glenn Bryce for the try.
Seymour and Nick Grigg had to make early exits due to head knocks, but Grigg’s replacement Brandon Thomas landed a superb penalty from halfway just after he came on.
A penalty from Healy took Munster to a 15-8 lead early in the second half, but the Warriors forced a huge siege on the Munster line that produced a yellow card for Holland and a maul try for hooker Grant Stewart.
But Wilson’s yellow card for a dangerous dive on Munster scrum-half Casey levelled the team personnel-wise again and Gavin Coombes went over from close range to take the Irishmen clear again, Healy converting for a nine-point lead.
Another of Munster’s big money imports Jean Kleyn finished the scoring, rolling off a lineout maul for the bonus point try with two minutes left.
Glasgow Warriors: Glenn Bryce; Tommy Seymour, Nick Grigg, Robbie Fergusson, Robbie Nairn; Pete Horne, Sean Kennedy; Aki Seiuli, Grant Stewart, Enrique Pieretto; Lewis Bean, Rob Harley; Ryan Wilson (capt), Tom Gordon, TJ Ioane.
Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Alex Allan for Seiuli 51, D’Arcy Rae for Pieretto 51, Hamish Bain for Bean 71, Fotu Lokotui for Ioane 52, Caleb Korteweg, Brandon Thomson for Grigg 8, Niko Matawalu for Seymour 29.
Munster: Mike Haley; Calvin Nash, Rory Scannell, Damian de Allende, Matt Gallagher; Ben Healy, Craig Casey; James Cronin, Kevin O’Byrne, Stephen Archer; Jean Kleyn, Billy Holland (capt); Fineen Wycherley, Jack O’Sullivan, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Rhys Marshall for O’Byrne 61, Josh Wycherley for Cronin 67, Keynan Knox for Archer 67, Jack O’Donoghue for Wycherley 61, Tommy O’Donnell for O’Sullivan 67, Nick McCarthy for Casey 77, JJ Hanrahan for Healy 70, Dan Goggin for Gallagher 70.
Ref: Adam Jones (WRU)
