Munster 10-17 Glasgow Warriors: Visitors stun URC defending champions in Thomond Park semi-final

Defending URC champions Munster passed up the chance to host the 2024 final at Thomond Park after a home semi-final loss to Glasgow

Munster's aims of securing back-to-back URC titles came crashing down on home soil on Saturday, as Glasgow Warriors rocked up to Thomond Park and secured a tense and unexpected 17-10 semi-final victory.

Graham Rowntree's hosts topped the table after a superb end of season run which included two bonus-point victories in South Africa over the Bulls and Lions, and would have hosted the final in Limerick had they made it, but their ploy of leaving several key players in reserve on the bench for impact failed to come off.

Allied to that, Munster were made to rue passing up greater possession and territory in the contest - one in which they faced 14 players for two periods of 10 minutes as lock Richie Gray (repeat team infringements) and back-row Matt Fagerson (high tackle) were sin-binned.

Instead, despite dominating through the first half and into the second period in blustery conditions, Munster were 7-3 behind by the time Fagerson's sin-bin elapsed into the second half, with the only try to that point coming via Warriors skipper Kyle Steyn's interception against the run of play.

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From there, a clinical Sebastian Cancelliere counterattacking try put Glasgow into a 14-3 lead, and though Antoine Frisch replied to get Munster within four points, the anticipated late onslaught failed to arrive as home centre Alex Nankivell was harshly red carded for a low ruck clearout which saw him collide with the head of Glasgow scrum-half George Horne.

Horne kicked that penalty to ensure a seven-point gap, with Munster's season ending thereafter vs a side they beat by 11 points back in December during the regular season, and who they knocked out in the quarter-finals of the league playoffs last year in the Scottish capital en route to glory.

Glasgow, after a no doubt hugely satisfying revenge mission at Thomond, will now travel to face the Bulls in Pretoria for next weekend's URC final, as the South African side beat Leinster 25-20 in the other semi-final earlier in the day.

With Munster having clinched the URC title in South Africa last year, Thomond Park was vibrant and hopeful of securing a home final

Munster centre Alex Nankivell was red carded late on in what proved a hugely disappointing day for the province

Munster - shorn of outstanding wing Calvin Nash due to injury - made a fast start to the contest, as an early scrum drive gave way to enterprising attack on penalty advantage. Glasgow infringed at the breakdown trying to cope, handing Jack Crowley a seemingly simple kick for the lead in just the fourth minute, but one he poorly pushed wide.

A Niall Scannell lineout overthrow in his own 22 then put Glasgow onto the front foot, and though Sione Tuipulotu ran over the top of scrum-half Craig Casey to get close, Munster full-back Mike Haley came up with a priceless breakdown turnover virtually on top of his own try-line.

A Glasgow lineout penalty concession for playing the arm of Peter O'Mahony soon gave Munster 22 access. They chose to kick to the corner after another penalty in the 22 in a big call, and though the home side came close through Nankivell, Glasgow conceded a penalty five metres out for failing to roll away, for which Gray was sin-binned.

Glasgow lock Richie Gray was sin-binned early after a number of penalties from his side within their own half

Munster chose to take the points on offer from close range on this occasion, with Crowley striking over for 3-0 in the 12th minute.

Jack Crowley kicked the first points of the semi-final, having poorly missed his opening attempt

A crooked Scannell throw impacted by the breeze sapped up time with Glasgow down to 14 players, only for Munster captain Tadhg Beirne to produce a superb turnover, and Glasgow's Horne to then kick out on the full.

Munster centre Frisch knocked on attempting to take a John Hodnett offload off the lineout, but Beirne ripped the ball off wing Cancelliere as he looked to counterattack from the Glasgow 22, forcing the visitors to scrum deep in their own territory.

Munster marched the Scottish pack off their own ball again, but failed to capitalise on a spell attacking in the 22 when Scannell was penalised for sealing off in a costly moment.

Instead, Glasgow would score the opening try in fortuitous fashion as Steyn mopped up a Nankivell knock-on near halfway to canter in.

Warriors skipper Kyle Steyn scored the opening try after an interception against the run of play

Gray returned with Glasgow 7-3 ahead against the run of play, before hooker Johnny Matthews then produced a breakdown penalty just outside his own 22 to halt Munster's first attacking response.

Casey knocked on at the base of a Munster attacking scrum for more home frustration, with their next opening coming with five minutes of the half remaining: a clever goal-line dropout play creating space for Simon Zebo to screech forward down the left, but just be put into touch by Huw Jones inside the 22.

Glasgow full-back Josh McKay was lucky to avoid a card of some description for leading with an elbow into the head/neck area of Frisch while carrying, but the forthcoming attack again brought no Munster points as Crowley broke into the 22 and saw the ball turned over.

In the final play of the opening period, Glasgow were once again reduced to 14 when flanker Fagerson caught O'Mahony in the head with a swinging arm. Munster again conceded possession cheaply in their first attack vs a player less before the break, however.

Glasgow were reduced to 14 players for a second time when back-row Matt Fagerson was penalised for a high tackle

Into the second half, Munster put themselves under pressure with the early concession of three penalties, each of which Glasgow kicked to the corner. Beirne produced an enormous lineout steal five metres out, though, backing it up with a ferocious breakdown penalty up the field to put Munster attacking.

Momentum seemed to have swung in Munster's favour when skipper Tadhg Beirne won back-to-back penalties

McKay got into Nankivell's passing channel to end that chance, however, with Glasgow restored to 15 players still 7-3 ahead.

Glasgow's Horne struck a penalty from the angle wide after Munster lost Nankivell to blood, but Glasgow soon had their second try to force daylight on the scoreboard when Jones showed Nankivell's replacement Sean O'Brien a clean pair of heels to set up Cancelliere to score.

Sebastian Cancelliere grabbed Glasgow's second try via a counterattack to put the visitors in control

Horne converted superbly for a 14-3 lead, but Munster almost replied straight away via a Frisch break, only for Rory Darge to conjure up a massive turnover.

In the 56th minute, Munster did hit back via Frisch in the corner after a barnstorming Gavin Coombes break soon after his introduction off the bench, with prop Jeremy Loughman doing brilliantly to collect an RG Snyman offload and sprint ahead to get close in the move. From there, O'Mahony played ball away quickly for Casey to feed Frisch to score.

Munster centre Antoine Frisch replied with a try just five minutes later, but they couldn't kick on thereafter

Crowley struck over a beauty of a conversion from near the touchline to put Munster within four, but for all their huffing and puffing, Nankivell's surprise red card saw Horne kick Glasgow seven ahead with five to play.

Munster had one final chance as Crowley kicked a penalty to touch, with a driving maul followed by strong carrying planting them firmly into the Glasgow 22.

A poor Snyman offload attempt to tighthead John Ryan saw a knock-on follow five metres from the try-line, though - an 11th Munster handling error in the match - with the resulting scrum taking more than 90 seconds to complete, allowing Glasgow to end the game shortly after.