Glasgow snatch late draw

 

An impressive attacking display had seen Glasgow build a healthy 27-7 half-time lead as tries from Stuart Hogg, Richie Vernon and Mark Bennett looked to have them cruising to victory – Fergus McFadden's score all Leinster could muster.

 

But Isaac Boss' charge down and try just seconds after the break turned the game on its head as Jordi Murphy crossed and Boss went over for try number two to see the hosts seemingly pull off a remarkable comeback victory.

 

The Warriors aren't top of the table for nothing however and Bryce dotted down with five minutes remaining to level things up at 34-34 as Leinster were forced to settle for a draw in their fight for a play-off place.

 

Both sides welcomed a number of players back from international duty and it was one of those, in the form of Hogg, who opened the scoring after seven minutes.

 

Sustained Glasgow pressure saw them prod and probe at the Leinster defence before great set-up play enabled the Scotland fullback to touch down under the posts.

 

Peter Horne duly added the conversion and then notched a penalty as the Warriors continued their strong start.

 

At 10-0 down, Leinster started to work their way back into the game and a spell of pressure ended with McFadden dotting down in the corner – Ian Madigan making light work of the tricky conversion.

 

That was as good as it got for Matt O'Connor's men in the first half however, as Vernon barrelled his way over the try-line through a crush of bodies, Horne nailing the extras, before Bennett compounded the hosts' misery.

 

The centre continued his impressive Scotland form as he made an incisive break and jinked his way past the covering defenders to cross the whitewash.

 

Horne was once again perfect from the tee and also notched a second penalty to establish a 27-7 lead at the break.

 

But less than a minute into the second half, Leinster gave themselves a route back into the game.

 

Bryce's kick was charged down by replacement Boss who gathered the bouncing ball and touched down to stun the visitors.

 

Madigan's extras, in addition to a second penalty, narrowed the gap to ten points and the hosts began to play with newfound belief as they looked to cut that deficit further, an ambition only aided when Niko Matawalu was sin-binned with half an hour remaining.

 

Shortly after the yellow card, they did indeed move within three points as Murphy used his considerable strength to hold off several tacklers and power his way in for the score.

 

And that man disadvantage would go on to haunt Glasgow even further as just four minutes later, the visitors edged ahead for the first time in the match – Boss dotting down for his second try of the half.

 

Madigan bisected the uprights to make it 31-27 as the game looked poised for a thrilling final quarter.

 

Another three-pointer from the inside centre then extended that lead to seven points but after repeatedly knocking on the door, Glasgow finally burst in on 75 minutes – Bryce notching his first try for the club in the corner.

 

And despite late pressure from Leinster deep in the Warriors half, they couldn't find a crucial score as the spoils were shared. 

 

 

Tries: McFadden, Boss 2, Murphy

Cons: Madigan 4

Pens: Madigan 2

 

Tries: Hogg, Vernon, Bennett, Bryce

Cons: Horne 4

Pens: Horne, Bennett

 

Leinster: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Ian Madigan, 11 Dave Kearney, 10 Jimmy Gopperth, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Shane Jennings (captain), 6 Jordi Murphy, 5 Mike McCarthy, 4 Tom Denton, 3 Marty Moore, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Michael Bent.

Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Ben Marshall, 20 Dominic Ryan, 21 Isaac Boss, 22 Gordon D'Arcy, 23 Luke Fitzgerald.

 

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Richie Vernon, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Peter Horne, 9 Niko Matawalu, 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Chris Fusaro, 6 Rob Harley, 5 Al Kellock (captain), 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Alex Allan.

Replacements: 16 Pat MacArthur, 17 Jerry Yanuyanutawa, 18 Mike Cusack, 19 Jonny Gray, 20 Adam Ashe, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Connor Braid, 23 Glenn Bryce.

 

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)

Assistant referees: David Wilkinson (Ireland), Kieran Barry (Ireland)

TMO: Seamus Flannery (Ireland)