Glasgow grab gutsy win

Glasgow celebrate

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Glasgow got their new Magners League campaign off to the perfect start with a gutsy victory over Leinster.

A fiercely-contested first half opened quietly enough with Fergus McFadden and Ruaridh Jackson exchanging penalties in the opening five minutes, before Dominic Ryan almost took advantage of a Glasgow handling error after he had hacked the ball to the home try-line.

Ryan was denied again a minute later when Jamie Heaslip put him through a gap, only for the pass to be adjudged forward, but McFadden soon afterwards added his second penalty.

Yet it was third time lucky for Ryan when Heaslip seized on a Fergus Thomson overthrow and put the flanker racing in from 40 metres.

With six minutes of the half to go, Glasgow lost their own line-out throw and the resulting hack on led to a mix-up behind the Glasgow line, before Isaac Boss got a hand on the ball for the softest of tries.

Confidence

Glasgow came out all guns blazing in the second half and Jackson pulled the margin back with a penalty - and the confidence started to grow as the half went on.

First, DTH van der Merwe crashed over in the corner and Duncan Weir, on for Jackson, slotted the equalising conversion.

Only desperate defence kept the rampaging Gray and Richie Vernon out but the pressure told, Glasgow went through the phases and set up Weir for the drop-goal which took the home side ahead for the first time in the game.

Isa Nacewa got on the board with a penalty six minutes from time to level the scores but Glasgow were not to be denied and after Leinster offended at the lineout Weir made no mistake from 30 metres.

With the last kick of the game Nacewa's attempted drop drifted wide as Glasgow held on for a morale-boosting win on the season's opening night.