RP12 Semi-Final 1; Glasgow vs Munster, 16 May

First topic message reminder :

Glasgow Warriors v Munster Rugby

Friday 16 May 2014, KO: 19:35
Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow

Live on BBC ALBA/TG4/SC4

Referee: Marius Mitrea (FIR, 29th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Giuseppe Vivarini, Stefano Penne (both FIR)
Citing Commissioner: Dennis Jones (WRU)
TMO: Carlo Damasco (FIR)

A. Teams:

I. Glasgow

15. Peter Murchie
14. Sean Maitland
13. Mark Bennett
12. Alex Dunbar
11. Tommy Seymour
10. Finn Russell
9. Chris Cusiter

1. Ryan Grant
2. Dougie Hall
3. Jon Welsh
4. Jonny Gray
5. Al Kellock (Captain)
6. Rob Harley
7. Chris Fusaro
8. Josh Strauss

16. Pat MacArthur
17. Gordon Reid
18. Geoff Cross
19. Tim Swinson
20. Leone Nakarawa
21. Niko Matawalu
22. Ruaridh Jackson
23. Sean Lamont

II. Munster

Felix Jones, Keith Earls, Casey Laulala, James Downey, Simon Zebo; Ian Keatley, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Damien Varley - Capt, BJ Botha; Dave Foley, Paul O'Connell; CJ Stander, Sean Dougall, James Coughlan.

Replacements: Quentin MacDonald, James Cronin, John Ryan, Donncha O'Callaghan, Paddy Butler, Duncan Williams, JJ Hanrahan, Andrew Conway.

B. Previous Championships

I. Glasgow

None

Playoff Record - Played 3, Lost 3:
2010 Swansea: lost to Ospreys 5-20
2012 RDS: lost to Leinster 15-19.
2013 RDS: lost to Leinster 15-17.

II. Munster

Three (2002-2003; 2008-2009; 2010-2011)

Playoff Record - Played 3, Won 1, Lost 2:
2010 RDS: lost to Leinster 6-16.
2011 Thomond Park: beat Ospreys 18-11.
2012 Swansea: lost to Ospreys 10-45.

C. Form - head to head:

23 Played 23
8 Wins 14
14 Losses 8
1 Draws 1
44 Tries 57
31 Conversions 41
59 Penalties 51
1 Drop Goals 1
462 Points 523
26 Avg. Age 26

D. Form - this season & last:

Sat 1 December 2012, 19:45
Munster Rugby 31 - 3 Glasgow Warriors
Thomond Park

Fri 29 March 2013, 20:05
Glasgow Warriors 51 - 24 Munster Rugby
Scotstoun

Fri 25 October 2013, 19:35
Glasgow Warriors 6 - 13 Munster Rugby
Scotstoun

Sat 12 April 2014, 18:30
Munster Rugby 5 - 22 Glasgow Warriors
Thomond Park

What a gent Cusiter is "Apologies for the yellow card gesture.Emotions running high and breakdowns were frustrating me but no place for that in our great game"

I haven't read back thru all the tread but dipped in and out -but no way were Munster playing negative tactics. Hardly kicked the ball in the first half. Both teams played hard and fair.

George Carlin wrote:

Gibson wrote:

George Carlin wrote:What did I miss? Anything?

That  Georgie. He really is a tort. Or is it just me? Congrats mo chara.  X.   

What do you think, Gib my boy? See you at the RDS in a fortnight?

I should like to think so bud.  But I'm well wary of  Ulster. This could be their time, like it's becoming yours. It's just a gut-feeling. Dangerous times ahead.

Its a knockout. Love it.

You are buyin the 1st    by de way.

If Ulster win, I'll be with my mate Rav.

And Id love it if Ulster got silverware. Just for him.

I just focking love rugby and the people I have met through it.

Perspective. Uphold the very ethos of it all.

Believe.

Hope those Welsh pundits & Scrum V panelists are enjoying feeling rather silly for their comments about Glasgow previously...

Referee a total inadequate.. FFS this is a big game why give it to some feckin complete bell end idiot and his equally useless touches and TMO - same old Munster always cheatin !

But we still beat them despite all their obvious skulduggery and jigerypokery


Yessssssss The Glasgow Warriors                    

Nematode wrote:Hope those Welsh pundits & Scrum V panelists are enjoying feeling rather silly for their comments about Glasgow previously...

Best to rise above it all  dahlink. Just be. Don't give credence to those who blindly scoff.  

Ye lot are there on pure merit alone and its been coming for 3 years now. Ive watched it grow.

Believe

21st Century Schizoid Man wrote:Referee a total inadequate..  FFS this is a big game why give it to some feckin complete bell end idiot and his equally useless touches and TMO - same old Munster always cheatin  !

But we still beat them despite all their obvious skulduggery and jigerypokery


Yessssssss The Glasgow Warriors                    

Yerman has had a sup or 2.

And why wouldn't he? Focking brilliant nous by de Weegies. They grew up tonight. Munster are the acid-test and they passed.

Glasgow Warriors await their next victims. And it could be at home.

Gibbo ye are a gent and no mistake. Are we off to Dublin dude ?

Well done Glasgee...well deserved....

Pity that old sod and black Moroccan addled poofter Gibson can only raise a post when Munster lose....sad old bollix....stick to the korfball you old watje....plenty to keep you busy down the walletjes...

Well if Glasgow get a home final I'll certainly be making the pilgrimage to Ibrox.

Jonny Gray and Bob Harley should both start for Scotland against the Boks in the summer. Phenomenal work rates.

For the Irish....

Captain of Fermanagh Senior Football team is in Kerry for his holidays. Down in Dingle and goes into Paddy Bawn Brosnans pub (great kerry footballer).

Captain of Fermanagh - Paddy Bawn Brosnan...you are such a hero of all footballers....we are doing well in the championship, would you have any advice in case we won the All Ireland and Sam Maguire....

Paddy Bawn....(kerry accent needed)...what are you talking about.....i'll tell you now here is what you need to do when you win the all ireland....first of all you keep your left fist free to list the Sam Maguire...and your right fist to shake hands with the queen..........

Captain of Fermanagh (puzzled)...but Ireland doesnt have a queen Paddy.......

Paddy Bawn....by christ we'll have one by the time you win the all ireland.......

I really don't understand the ref complaints? I counted two decisions that he maybe got wrong.

That was probably Mitrea's best performance and he contributed to a great game.

If that was Mitrea's best performance than I'd hate to see him on an off day!

Just watched the match, fan-dabby-dozy.

Good match, played at a hell of a tempo and the contact area looked fierce.  

Gray, Harley and Russell stood out for me, Dunbar is becoming wonderfully reliable too. Nakarawa is a freak and Reid stepped up when called upon.

Just back from the game, and it hurts when I try to speak. Quite the night.

Kicked off wonderfully with a drink with Jimbo, Schitz and Mrs Schitz beforehand - you're all fantastic folk, and I had a great laugh! Sorry I couldn't get to you after the game - to anyone who wasn't there, it was one-in-one-out at the clubhouse, which is absolutely unheard of!

I ended up drinking with some Munster fans, then heading to Waxy's with them - great fun, though I'm regretting the suggestion of Jaegerbombs. I always do.

If we get a home final it's going to be at Parkhead.

Couldn't care less where it is as long as it is Glasgow

Aye boys and girls a fantastic night. The roar in the Scout Hall when Chris Cusiter and Kenny Murray came in to be interviewed was utterly deafening. Not a failure last night but Gray and Harley shone like beacons in a forwards game. Missed the Gordy Reid shuffle mind - what was he thinking about ? !!!! ?   

luvtotup wrote:If we get a home final it's going to be at Parkhead.

Tup - do you have the scoop on this? Or is that just where you'd like the venue o be?

GC - it is correct. That (Sellick Park) is where it will be if it is v Ulster on 31 May

Who sets the ticket prices for the final. Is it the league or the home union. If it is the SRU I would drop the price of the tickets to try and fill the stadium.

Obviously the bbc write match write ups without actually watching the game.

Replacements: Jackson for Bennett (67), Matawalu for Cusiter (67), Reid for Grant (26), MacArthur for Hall (53), Cross for Welsh (53), Swinson for Kellock (58), S. Lamont for Fusaro (72). Not Used: Nakarawa.

Nakarwawa was my MOM !!

Also correctly Lamont did come on for Fusaro . ? was he playing flanker ?? i couldnt work that out myself...

Mitrea made some basic errors but I think it was more down to how big the game was and nerves. If you watch back there was a clear squint Munster throw but he wasn't looking.

I suppose with a nervy ref we should be glad he didn't card Dunbar or give that Munster try (BBC Alaba saying the TMO initially said yes but ref couldn't hear). Also allowed some big hits.

On a side note, am I alone in actually really liking Alba commentary? The commentator (Hugh?) is really passionate and you can hear which it which is great. And you get a Glasgow player so 1/3 is in English.

cakeordeath wrote:Who sets the ticket prices for the final. Is it the league or the home union. If it is the SRU I would drop the price of the tickets to try and fill the stadium.

The league. But your point still stands if you substitute the word 'league' for 'SRU'.

alive555 wrote:Obviously the bbc write match write ups without actually watching the game.

Replacements: Jackson for Bennett (67), Matawalu for Cusiter (67), Reid for Grant (26), MacArthur for Hall (53), Cross for Welsh (53), Swinson for Kellock (58), S. Lamont for Fusaro (72). Not Used: Nakarawa.

Nakarwawa was my MOM !!

Also correctly Lamont did come on for Fusaro . ? was he playing flanker ?? i couldnt work that out myself...

Yes he did, we ran out of replacements.

Nematode wrote:
On a side note, am I alone in actually really liking Alba commentary? The commentator (Hugh?) is really passionate and you can hear which it which is great. And you get a Glasgow player so 1/3 is in English.

No you definitely aren't, with him commentating you really watch the game as if you were there, his passion is unrivaled, every big hit is amplified and any time Nakarawa offloads is jaw dropping stuff... Ed Kalman was great yesterday and i will miss him badly, a seriously underrated player.

There seems to be too much ref hate about the match last night, I thought he had one of his better ones and he always has a few very odd calls.

Anyway, how in the nameof god can you break down that Glasgow side especially when you have benchers who are as good if not better than the starting players. I was supporting Munster last night, my main reason being I feel Ulster would have a better chance of beating Munster when we get to the final. Only Gibbo's boy to get past this evening

TJ wrote:Guys - dinnae whinge about the ref.  Personally I thought he did well.  Early on he laid out his stall - he was going to give pens for holding on quickly.  And he did - consistently which made the breakdown a fair contest.  

He was harsh - even picky but consistent and missed little.  NO major errors that I would be confident he got wrong without my tartan bunnet on.  All the ones I thought wrong at full speed were fine with the replays

So overall I thought him consistent and fair and contributed to an open game

Munster maybe got the rub of the green but I bet the munster fans will point to "mistakes" as well.

Well said TJ.

I was ambivalent about who won this game - pros and cons for both, but I thought Mitrea had a very good game. He was really consistent at the breakdown and the maul. Once or twice at the scrum I wasn't sure but then I never am in that part of the game. The Lineout on both sides wasn't straight but it was consistently applied. In fact he has been consistent for most of the season and I would have him ahead of Hennessey, Philips, Patterson, Lacey, Fitzgibbon... (and Garces of course).

Zebo probably cost Munster the game by not passing with two outside him and going for glory himself, but that's easy to say in hindsight. It's good for the league that Glasgow have made the final, and I'm especially pleased for Townsend who took a serious amount of stick from Scotland fans.

349 tackles made in this game, 151 from Glasgow, 198 from Munster. This can't be far from a record.

Just shows the intensity and commitment from both side that was on show last night.

Well chaps that was my first trip to Scotstoun to support our Western Brethren and as an Edinburgh fan I was thoroughly impressed - that's what Pro club rugby in Scotland can be like!! The crowd was good banter, being passionate without being offensive so I have no idea what the previous comments about the crowd being awful were about??? Any Munster fan I spoke to at the game/on the train back was saying how much they enjoyed and how good a time they'd had!

Scotstoun is an awesome venue for Glasgow and as an Edinburgh fan I'm horribly jealous

Other than the usual overpriced bevvy and food I had a great time, Russell is looking more and more like a consistently good 10, Rob Harley and Gray JR both need to be starting for Scotland and 6 and lock respectively.

Well done Glasgow, this combined with the SRU debt potentially being erased is making things look pretty sunny in Scotland    

Just watched the game again - Bob Harley was the motm for me! That guy is an absolute machine and must have been near the top of the tackle and ruck clear out stats.

Swinson made a huge difference when he came on with some brutal physicality, and nakarawa was just a beast!

You are spot on RDW, Bob Harley was top tackler on the warriors side, 19 made missed only one, ahead of Gray jr who don't know how to miss a tackle, 13-0. The face of Harley after the final whistle with his nose bleeding summed it all for me, the guy is the epitome of what really is a true warrior.

Im still under the shock of the intensity in that game.

For all the talk of how great the Top14 is, that game was 10000x times better than the Racing Toulon game.

I was watching the Top 14 semi final and ended up eventually just skipping to the end to see the score. Negative boring tactics with two teams terrified of losing. I'm pretty happy with the way this league is going right now.

Would make sense to just have the glasgow squad and coaches + Denton and Laidlaw for the summer tour instead of some SJ/VC unprepared overlap

Apparently Jonny Gray was the captain after Kellock went off which is some achievement for a 19 year old, he surely has to start for Scotland as he's ahead of Swinson and surely is better than Hamilton . I think Harley is the kind of player Scotland needs, he's not selfish, he's ginger, he's ugly and he makes his tackles all game, a back-row of Harley, Rennie, Beattie seems quite balanced as does both the Grays in the second row.

Nematode wrote:Would make sense to just have the glasgow squad and coaches + Denton and Laidlaw for the summer tour instead of some SJ/VC unprepared overlap

No way - some of these guys are going to need a rest. Could not give a flying feck about this tour anyway. Just thinking about the final and cancelling holiday arrangements for 31 May!   

Amigos mio. Ola,ola, ola.
Just got back from the match  
A funny thing happened as Schiz and I were leaving The Cheerful Onanist (Schiz's local vegan all you can eat buffet) when a very jovial man professing to be a rocket scientist by day and a world class prop at the weekends approached us and said,
"You're Schizoid aren't you?"
"Yes I am" said Schiz.
"Me too" continued Schiz.
"I'm not" countered Schiz.
Some time later I awoke to find my wallet gone, as were Schiz and the stout gentleman. Luckily I knew my way to the nearest hostelry where Schiz was waiting patiently.

On a serious note; pre-match drinkies with IanBru was worth the trip alone.  
the Munster fans were all good company and took the result in the correct way (shrug, have a beer and enjoy yourself) but the Warriors were immense each and every one of them. I'll bet there are sore bodies in Glasgow this morning. Certainly there is a rather sore head in Essex. Proud to be part of the Warrior nation.

Just to let people from the east aware, Ryanair flights to Dublin can be ridiculously cheap so if Leinster were to win, and you were going to go to the final if in Glasgow, might be worth checking out prices. Few years ago I saw £40 return tickets which is cheaper than public transport to Scotstoun from where I am.

Also worth noting that airlines massively increase prices when they find out a big sports occasion is on, so get in there quickly!

Just checked and flights are around £37 return up to around £60 (from Edinburgh)

This is when the SRU should step in and charter some flights and buses

I think we could see a Scotland side with 12-13 Glasgow players, only Richie Gray and Johnnie Beattie would get in past a Glasgow player currently as Matt Scott is injured

P and O from l'pool to Dublin around £200 for 4people car return. Not great sailing times either

I think Beattie's injured atm or certainly isn't a regular.

See I'm not the only one who's been checking out flights to Dublin!
If Leinster win, it'll just be a question of trying to persuade my cash strapped student friends that a trip to the RDS is worth it

123456789 wrote:I think we could see a Scotland side with 12-13 Glasgow players, only Richie Gray and Johnnie Beattie would get in past a Glasgow player currently as Matt Scott is injured

Denton instead of Beattie. Visser over Lamont (bench).

I think Peter Murchie deserves a fair bit of credit. He got hammered on a number of occasions but just kept on playing - I didn't think he'd have any ribs left by the end of the match! A rock in defence and was exemplary in carrying the ball forward.

Leone Nakarawa though ... jeez.

Would be good if, in recognition of Fiji's contribution to Glasgow Warriors, we could maybe do a repeat of the 2012 tour to Aus, Fiji and Samoa.

Agree Nematode ... and from a Warrior point of view Toonie can go and look for some more players that bring that Fijiian mentality and joie de vivre to Glasgow !

All I can say now is SUFTUM !

Not often either do you see such a landscape in the background as in the Fijian game. Breathtaking.