Firhill has never been a venue where the men of Munster have enjoyed a particularly comfortable 80 minutes of rugby.
Last Friday’s Magners League opener was the latest example of that; a stinging 22-9 reversal not the start that the defending champions would have had in mind given their encouraging pre-season displays.
For all but the opening 10 minutes of the match, when it looked as if Munster might run the hosts ragged, it just never came together for Tony McGahan’s men on a night when continuity was in short supply.
Yet the game’s opening moments were hugely encouraging from a Munster perspective.
There were early lineout steals via Mick O’Driscoll, there was some excellent work on the deck by Niall Ronan and Doug Howlett was lurking with intent on the right wing.
But that was to prove as good as it would get from open play for Munster, who were largely bullied in the scrum by an excellent Glasgow pack.
Without the foundation that phased possession and pick and go tends to provide, Munster’s backs rarely had a line-breaking platform and were unable to punch any big holes in the hosts’ defence.
