Munster Rugby v Glasgow Warriors, 28 February

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Munster Rugby v Glasgow Warriors
Saturday 28 February 2015
KO 19:15
Irish Independent Park, Cork

Referee: Nigel Owens (118th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Mark Patton, John Carvill (both IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Peter Ferguson (IRFU)
TMO: Dermot Moloney (IRFU)

Live on Sky Sports

A. Teams:

Munster Rugby

[tbc]

Glasgow Warriors

[tbc]

B. Form - head to head:

24 Played 24
14 Wins 9
9 Losses 14
1 Draws 1
59 Tries 45
41 Conversions 32
54 Penalties 63
1 Drop Goals 1
542 Points 481
26 Avg. Age 25

C. Form:

Sat 20 December 2014
Glasgow Warriors 21 - 18 Munster Rugby

Fri 16 May 2014
Glasgow Warriors 16 - 15 Munster Rugby

Sat 12 April 2014
Munster Rugby 5 - 22 Glasgow Warriors

Fri 25 October 2013
Glasgow Warriors 6 - 13 Munster Rugby

jimbopip wrote:I won't be answering the phone for the next 24 hours: I can't play second row.

I can play second row, but only if every other player is twelve years old.

Weegie Wizard wrote:Well last week we had (I think) 22 players out and squad was:

Peter Murchie, Niko Matawalu, Richie Vernon, Fraser Lyle, DTH van der Merwe, Peter Horne, Ali Price,
Ryan Grant, Pat MacArthur, Rossouw de Klerk, Leone Nakarawa, Al Kellock, James Eddie, Tyrone Holmes, Josh Strauss
Replacements: Kevin Bryce, Alex Allan, Zander Fagerson, Fraser McKenzie, Will Bordill, Connor Braid, Rory Hughes, Glenn Bryce

From that list we are now missing Horne, Grant, Leone and Sherlock making 26 absentees. We also no longer have McKenzie but Toolis will swap in for him.

Jerry and Spinks may bench in place of Grant and Holmes but we are seriously short in the 2nd row and midfield. I suspect Braid will start but no clue who will be on the bench.

Who is left?

Might we get Ashe back, and Maitland, both for a half off the bench?

I used to play second row for my school 3rd XV. What I lacked in courage and skill I made up for enthusiasm.

Still, even if I were a hybrid of Victor Matfield and Martin Johnson, I still wouldn't play for the Great Unwashed!

Have to say I am getting impressed with Mr Vernon......

Tyrone Holmes ruled out for 2 months

At this rate Lee Jones will be playing in the second-row and Gregor Townsend coming out of retirement.

If Glasgow win this, it has to go down as one of the clubs best ever victories. I would be happy with a point at this stage.

Here is my stab at a team:

Allan
McArthur
Cusak
Kellock
Toolis
Eddie
Bordill
Strauss
Price
DTH
Braid
Lyle
Vernon
Jones
Murchie

Jerry
K. Bryce
De Klerk
Ashe
Spinks
Niko
Hughes
G. Bryce

Big concern over 10 and 2nd row, Eddie or Strauss are going to have to do a shift if either Kellock or Toolis break down.

EST wrote:If Glasgow win this, it has to go down as one of the clubs best ever victories.  I would be happy with a point at this stage.

Here is my stab at a team:

Allan
McArthur
Cusak
Kellock
Toolis
Eddie
Bordill
Strauss
Price
DTH
Braid
Lyle
Vernon
Jones
Murchie

Jerry
K. Bryce
De Klerk
Ashe
Spinks
Niko
Hughes
G. Bryce

Big concern over 10 and 2nd row, Eddie or Strauss are going to have to do a shift if either Kellock or Toolis break down.

Niko won't be on the bench probably will start on the wing again if Henry is not fit. Lee Jones was not fit last week and to be honest our backs did fine. Ali price is coming along very nicely and this will be another good test for him, he will be in the SH mix next year for sure. Our weak link is definitely FH. I base that on not really knowing what Braid is capable of. I would be very happy if he proves me wrong and has a stormer.

Our pack is actually not that bad considering the players that are not available. I guess we will see if some of the kids have what it takes or not to be professional rugby players. I am actually quite looking forward to seeing that, maybe we will be pleasantly surprised!

BigGee wrote:

EST wrote:If Glasgow win this, it has to go down as one of the clubs best ever victories.  I would be happy with a point at this stage.

Here is my stab at a team:

Allan
McArthur
Cusak
Kellock
Toolis
Eddie
Bordill
Strauss
Price
DTH
Braid
Lyle
Vernon
Jones
Murchie

Jerry
K. Bryce
De Klerk
Ashe
Spinks
Niko
Hughes
G. Bryce

Big concern over 10 and 2nd row, Eddie or Strauss are going to have to do a shift if either Kellock or Toolis break down.

Niko won't be on the bench probably will start on the wing again if Henry is not fit. Lee Jones was not fit last week and to be honest our backs did fine. Ali price is coming along very nicely and this will be another good test for him, he will be in the SH mix next year for sure. Our weak link is definitely FH. I base that on not really knowing what Braid is capable of. I would be very happy if he proves me wrong and has a stormer.

Our pack is actually not that bad considering the players that are not available. I guess we will see if some of the kids have what it takes or not to be professional rugby players. I am actually quite looking forward to seeing that, maybe we will be pleasantly surprised!

Ah, I didn't realise the Selkirk pixie was injured. Regading Niko, I fully expect him to start but I personally wouldn't. I think he is a bit of a liability on the wing, more often than not he comes off his wing and gets in the way of the actual scrummie. I would have him starting at 9 or on the bench. In this case I think Price more than deserves another start.

I'm excited for this one as well, there is less expectation and i'm looking forward to seeing what Spinks can do, if selected. He is only a month younger than Ickle Jonny, proving that A) IJ is an unbelievable talent, and B) There is no reason why Spinks shouldn't be physically capable.

While really glad for Pete Horne this has screwed us for this game well and truly. Can Niko play lock ? Or maybe 10 - jeez that would be fun - we would probably lose 10 tries to 5.

As the team hasn't been posted, I don't have much to currently contribute to the substance of this thread but I would like to mention that I am writing this having afternoon tea on the 123rd floor lounge of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Seriously. It's very nearly as good as the Gregg's on Queen Street in Glasgow. Nearly. Though their lorne sausage here is rubbish.

Yeah, I see you there. Wave to the security camera behind your left shoulder.

George Carlin wrote:As the team hasn't been posted, I don't have much to currently contribute to the substance of this thread but I would like to mention that I am writing this having afternoon tea on the 123rd floor lounge of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Seriously. It's very nearly as good as the Gregg's on Queen Street in Glasgow. Nearly. Though their lorne sausage here is rubbish.

I love that Gregg's. Half-price rolls at the end of the day - a skinflint's dream!

I still mourn the demise of City Bakeries. You got a goodly portion of fat in their round pies. Oh I still get misty eyed thinking of that moment when the running fat stop scalding the back of your hand and then congealed and solidified on your skin when the cold Glasgow air hit it.
Mmm, them folks in Stockbridge just don't know what it is to be alive.

Glasgow teams up:

15. Peter Murchie
14. Niko Matawalu
13. Richie Vernon
12. Fraser Lyle
11. DTH van der Merwe
10. Connor Braid
9. Murray McConnell

1. Alex Allan
2. Pat MacArthur
3. Rossouw de Klerk
4. James Eddie
5. Al Kellock (Captain)
6. Adam Ashe
7. Will Bordill
8. Josh Strauss

Replacements

16. Dougie Hall
17. Jerry Yanuyanutawa
18. D'arcy Rae
19. Alex Toolis
20. Tommy Spinks
21. Glenn Bryce
22. Lee Jones
23. Rory Hughes

It's as good as can be expected. Good to see Ashe back but strange to play him at 6 rather than Strauss. If this is enough to beat Munster away we will definitely win the league this season.

Have Munster announced?

That team is not too bad actually given the fairly extreme circumstances, but that is a very raw 9-10-12 axis. Not convinced by the front 5 either, which you need to be strong away to Munster.

Glasgow still have a chance here I think!

Wizard, I think we might see Bluto at 8 more often now: Vern will want him there for the World Cup. Well who else is there?
If we win this then we can win the league. Here's hoping Munster see the team sheet and get all complacent.

Munster team:

Munster: JJ Hanrahan; Andrew Conway, Keith Earls, Denis Hurley - capt., Ronan O'Mahony; Ian Keatley, Duncan Williams; John Ryan, Eusebio Guinazu, BJ Botha; Donncha O'Callaghan, Billy Holland; Jack O'Donoghue, Sean Dougall, CJ Stander.

Replacements: Niall Scannell, Dave Kilcoyne, Stephen Archer, Dave O'Callaghan, Paddy Butler, Neil Cronin, Andrew Smith, Ivan Dineen.

7 changes from the Scarlets match last week.

When is the last time Munster named a relatively unchanged side for a run of matches?

Obviously Foley doesn't feel continuity has any merit or benefits.

Is Cusack injured/not well again? Forget it, just read that it's his foot.

I was wondering what had happened to big mike as well. He is down as injured this week, with a foot injury, though he was not on the crocked list last week. He does not seem to be hitting his stride yet, ebven though he has the opportunity of getting a run of games. You do wonder if he is ever going to be the same player again.

Was surprised to see Price not picked as well, he certainly deserved it after last week. not injured either. I guess Toonie is just being fair to McConnell and seeing what he can do, he has not really had many chances yet and was also highly rated when younger. He needs to take any chances he gets if he wants to stay on.

Other than that the team is much as expected, all things considered its not to bad, albeit they will have a massive test in Cork. Nothing to lose, so lets see what they are made of.

Good to see another young prop D'Arcy Rae getting a bench spot to. He seemed to do ok on his loan spell out in Treviso. They have sent out a nice tweet wishing him well. Lets hope he takes his chance as well.

MunsterMac wrote:7 changes from the Scarlets match last week.

When is the last time Munster named a relatively unchanged side for a run of matches?

Obviously Foley doesn't feel continuity has any merit or benefits.

There isn't that many unforced changes - TOD & Felix with Ireland. Ronan O'Mahony back and Luke O'Dea out. The rest is just rotating between starters and bench.

Surprisingly presentable Glasgow side. Agree both that the more experienced Strauss should be at 8 to let Ashe sneak back into his regular position but presumably we need Strauss' power and control at the tale.

There is a lot of talent there to be competitive but ultimately Munster (even the hacked around squad above - agree with Mac that the coaching staff cannot seem to settle on whom their starters should be) should win this by more than a score.

Delighted to see so much young SQ talent here and it is very dangerous indeed to be young, full of the joys and with nothing to lose.

Is a Glasgow win completely out of the question? No, but Braid needs to nail his goalkicks.

Glasgow side is a bit of a dog's breakfast, however needs must.

I'd certainly have Niko at 9 with Hughes on the wing. Toonie doesn't seem to rate Hughes but he looks handy to me.

Slightly surprised by Eddie at lock ahead of Toolis, one being a lock and the other one not being a lock, but Eddie is one of these journeymen that the Great Unwashed hold dear.

Pleased for Bordill getting a chance, and delighted that Ashe is back (and Denton for Edinburgh).

Was having a look at the best kicking percentages in the pro12 this year.
Hanrahan was the top kicker last season, but must be 77% or below this year, surprised neither Munster kickers are above that.

Bigger is top with 42/45 - 93%

Weir is Glasgows best at 84%

Both JJ & Keatley had a slow start - both were minding a groin problem so didn't practice any kicking during preseason. JJ hasn't been kicking much this year anyway.

Sin é wrote:Munster team:

Munster: JJ Hanrahan; Andrew Conway, Keith Earls, Denis Hurley - capt., Ronan O'Mahony; Ian Keatley, Duncan Williams; John Ryan, Eusebio Guinazu, BJ Botha; Donncha O'Callaghan, Billy Holland; Jack O'Donoghue, Sean Dougall, CJ Stander.

Replacements: Niall Scannell, Dave Kilcoyne, Stephen Archer, Dave O'Callaghan, Paddy Butler, Neil Cronin, Andrew Smith, Ivan Dineen.

Strong enough team for a win....hopefully

There isn't that many unforced changes - TOD & Felix with Ireland. Ronan O'Mahony back and Luke O'Dea out. The rest is just rotating between starters and bench.

So other than Ronan O'Mahony, John Ryan, Eusebio Guinazu, BJ Botha and Jack O'Donoghue there aren't that many unforced changes!!

MunsterMac wrote:

There isn't that many unforced changes - TOD & Felix with Ireland. Ronan O'Mahony back and Luke O'Dea out. The rest is just rotating between starters and bench.

So other than Ronan O'Mahony, John Ryan, Eusebio Guinazu, BJ Botha and Jack O'Donoghue there aren't that many unforced changes!!

They all played last weekend - just bench rotation! Penney used do that a lot - start every 2nd week or so. That way you keep everyone ticking over (and happy).

Problem is between 'bench rotation', trying to keep everyone happy, internationals being away, international squad members returning & international squad members leaving not to mention players being injured / returning from injury we never seem to have a settled team.

Why can't we just put what is considered our best available 15 out on the field every week?

This is pro rugby and it's all about winning matches after all.

And the league is our only shot at silverware left this season.

My opinion is it's this kind of crap that keeps losing us matches we should win, especially at home and especially against our main competitors.

Surprised about Ali Price after last week as he did very well. Still Toonie looking ahead to the Niko-less times !

Schitz, are  you actually GC's mildly racist uncle Dougie?

MunsterMac wrote:Problem is between 'bench rotation', trying to keep everyone happy, internationals being away, international squad members returning & international squad members leaving not to mention players being injured / returning from injury we never seem to have a settled team.

Why can't we just put what is considered our best available 15 out on the field every week?

This is pro rugby and it's all about winning matches after all.

And the league is our only shot at silverware left this season.

My opinion is it's this kind of crap that keeps losing us matches we should win, especially at home and especially against our main competitors.

Looks about the strongest team except for kilcoyne...what changes do you have in mind

tigertattie wrote:Schitz, are  you actually GC's mildly racist uncle Dougie?

I thought he was Cambo. Although I have long suspected him of being Fes. Or maybe Fes is himself.

Weak second row, one has to wonder why Tom Ryder has been allowed to leave.

Interesting that after a few showing with Treviso, D'arcy Rae is back. Maybe he is actually better than what they initially thought.

What have I done to deserve this ?

A bonus point win will put Munster top, a LBP will keep Glasgow top. I just hope the youngsters say Fecc it, and really go for Munster.

Right Glasgow, can you give us something to cheer about. Unfortunately I can't see anything else but a humping

that Munster player in the centre, Earls has a good bit of pace. leaves his support behind or ignores runners though - might be better as a winger.

The weekend is not getting any better, we are getting murdered at the moment, Forget about a bonus point, we will do well to stop them getting a five pointer. The squad has been stretched just a little bit to thin for this one!

Heroic defence going on, but not much else. If Munster had been more clinical it would be over and done by now.

Whatever else happens in this game, I am just in awe of the way Glasgow have come back at them. What spirit, what a team, the kids are doing just fine!

As I thought.  Earls much better out on the wing - great pace and a little kick flourish into the hands to finish off a lovely grubber kick from Keatley.

That was as good as the Glasgow try.

Well I wouldn't have figured Munster could have got a try bonus point out of this match, but they have.   Good play - using fresh legs of the bench and Stander touches down after a powerful maul.

Keatley misses another one.

22-10.  12 minutes to go.

There's more scores in this one.

Braid is doing well all things considering.

Owens is just great at laying down the law - patiently.

Nobody quibbles.

Well - just saw the first use of the new Hawkeye technology for a possible Glasgow try which was disallowed.    Very good - you could see clearly the timing of the scoring player's foot going into touch in one angle just before the shot of his touchdown on another angle.   It didn't take long - could be a good innovation.

And it finishes 22-10 to Munster.  5 points in the bag - thoroughly deserved as they go top of the league by 1 point above Glasgow.

That was a good game. Could have been a cricket score the way the first half went but Glasgow never gave up and some of the new players eventually got up to the speed of the game.

Despite getting no points, I think Glasgow will take a lot from that, there were some very good performances out there.

Munster were strong though, they are going to be there or thereabouts at the end of the season. Well done to them.