Sport
Entertainment
Comedy
Drama
trimmed

Warriors 22-19 Leinster

Cailean Collier
Play Video
Glasgow Warriors secured their first win of the season with a narrow victory over Irish Giants Leinster. 

The Warriors looked promising throughout the first half but mistake after mistake gifted possession back to their Irish opponents in a first half where Leinster looked the stronger.

Fergus McFadden and Ruaridh Jackson exchanged penalties to bring the match to 6-6 before the first try of the match went the way of the Irish when Dominic Ryan capitalized on a Warriors error.  Leinster turned over possession before Jamie Heaslip released Ryan in a flowing move that saw Ryan jink then sprint unchallenged over the try line.  McFadden missed the resulting conversion.

An Isaac Boss try pushed Leinster further into the lead when another Warriors mistake gifted possession back to the Irish.  The Warriors couldn’t deal with the resulting kick forward and Isaac Boss managed to get the vital downward pressure on the ball to win the five points eventually confirmed by way of a video replay.

McFadden missed the conversion and so at half time the score was Warriors 6-16 Leinster.

On 49 minutes a double substitution saw Ben Prescott and John Fogarty replace Simon Shawe and Richard Strauss and Fogarty was promptly sent to the sin bin after punching Bernardo Stortoni in his first contribution to the match.

Just as Leinster were beginning to look comfortable Jackson converted a penalty to put the Warriors within touching distance of Leinster.

The Warriors rallied and Richie Vernon had two promising breaks but it was DTH van der Merwe who notched his first try of the season when the play swayed out to the right and van der Merwe was there to burst through the final challenge and make the try.  Jackson dispatched the conversion and the Warriors had drawn level!  

A drop goal from substitute Duncan Weir put the warriors in front by a nose but it was short lived as Leinster levelled again through an Isaac Nacewa penalty.

You could cut the tension in Firhill with a knife as Weir was presented with a penalty to put the home side into the lead with three mins left on the clock but he kept his cool and converted.

Nacewa went for a drop goal at the death but it sailed wide and moments later Tim Hayes blew the final whistle to confirm Warrior’s first win of the season.

The match finished Glasgow Warriors 22 – 19 Leinster. 
SPLPWDLGFGAGDPts
Celtic33006069
Rangers33007259
Aberdeen32015146
Hearts31206245
St Mirren311125-34
Inverness CT31024223
Motherwell310234-13
Kilmarnock310223-13
Hibs310236-33
Hamilton310218-73
Dundee United302126-42
St Johnstone301224-21