Pro12: Battling Glasgow Warriors defeat Leinster in try-less encounter
By Brian Dodds
Last Updated: 18/03/16 10:40pm
A fiercely competitive Glasgow pack knocked Leinster off-course with a 12-6 win that prevented their visitors from going top of the Guinness Pro12 table.
The champions showed real desire at a sold-out Scotstoun on Friday night to earn a victory which leapfrogged them above Edinburgh into sixth place in the table.
On his return to Glasgow, fly half Rory Clegg kicked four penalties with Leinster only able to walk away with two penalties from captain Isa Nacewa.
The first half deservedly ended 6-6 as both teams battled hard on a greasy pitch which cut up heavily from the very first scrum.
Nacewa opened the scoring with a penalty for Leinster, whose backs went very close twice in the first half to scoring what, with hindsight, would have been decisive tries.
A turn of speed and skill from Leinster winger Garry Ringrose inspired a sweeping move after he sprinted into a gap on the left wing and deftly chipped and caught past a defender before passing inside.
The ball was recycled and kept alive but an over-ambitious miss-pass to Nacewa on the right wing failed to find him and went into touch with the line beckoning.
On the half hour, playing the advantage from an infringement, Leinster went very close to putting Ben Te'o into the corner but he was bundled into the flag.
Returning for the penalty, Nacewa kicked his second to return the score to parity after Clegg had slotted two of his own.
With six remaining games to secure a play-off place, the Warriors came out with added purpose for the second half and their pressure soon earned a penalty for Clegg to regain the lead.
Clegg added his fourth a few minutes later after a tremendous punching run from winger Lee Jones but then the home side had to show great fortitude to repulse several slowly-built Leinster attacks.
Every time Leinster forced their way into striking distance, Glasgow not only held firm but forced the turnover at crucial moments to clear the danger.
So often the bulldozing Fiji lock Leone Nakarawa kept Glasgow going forwards, and their pack stepped up their aggressive grafting to force several turnovers and build up pressure on the visitors.
Having used all their replacements with 18 minutes still on the clock, the spirit of the injury-hit Warriors was summed up by a tremendous tackle from man-of-the-match Nakarawa in the final ten minutes.
His hit, not for the first time, forced a turnover after Leinster had worked their way into the home 22 through 17 phases of play.
For once, Leinster were out-tackled by a bruisingly-effective defensive performance by their opponents, and they can only console themselves with a losing bonus point that closes them in on Connacht at the top of the table.
