Glasgow Warriors 26 Leinster 20:Leinster's hopes of securing the Magners Celtic League title took a knock last night when they lost to Glasgow Warriors at Hughenden to end a 10-match winning run over the Scots side.
Glasgow, with a try advantage of 3-2, just about deserved their win after looking sharper at the breakdown and showing individual touches of brilliance, notably from their double try-scoring wing Tom Evans.
Leinster, now five points ahead of Ulster at the top of the table, will rue missing a prime scoring chance in the first half and moreover two second-half penalty misses from Felipe Contepomi, but it was up front that the real battle was lost to a Glasgow pack that looked much the hungrier.
It was Glasgow who opened the scoring with a try by right wing Hefin O'Hare, after Shane Horgan was forced to carry over a kick from outhalf Dan Parks.
From the ensuing scrum Glasgow's speedy wing Evans, coming off his blindside, drew in the midfield defence and when the ball was recycled Parks had time to throw out a monstrously long pass to the unmarked O'Hare for the wing to stroll over.
Almost immediately Leinster clawed back three points with a penalty goal from skipper Contepomi after Glasgow were ruled offside at the breakdown.
But a similar effort from Parks after a Leinster forward was caught using hands in the ruck restored the five-point advantage for Glasgow.
Parks then put the defence into confusion mode with a delicately positioned kick that bounced in the in-goal area. Speedster Evans, taking advantage of another Leinster attempt to flip the ball back, pounced for the try to put Glasgow further ahead.
Leinster looked set to reply in emphatic fashion when Horgan and Denis Hickie combined in a counterattack only for Hickie to lose possession after a crunching cover tackle.
But Leinster quickly atoned as number eight Jamie Heaslip broke clear before delivering a copybook pass to Gordon D'Arcy for the centre to race in under the posts, leaving Contepomi with the easiest of conversion attempts.
A strong start to the second half by Leinster saw D'Arcy dance through a dispersed Glasgow defence to score his second try, again under the posts. Contepomi's conversion opened up a four-point lead.
Glasgow hit back with a Parks penalty, and after flanker John Barclay knocked on with the line at his mercy, the Scotland outhalf hit a second successive penalty goal following a fracas that had ended with Leinster prop Stan Wright being sent to the sinbin.
Glasgow quickly cashed in with a spectacular solo try from Evans, the winger gathering his own kick ahead from inside his 22-metre area before outsprinting Hickie to claim his second touchdown, Parks's conversion making it 26-17.
A second penalty success by Contepomi, after Glasgow's replacement flanker Donnie Macfadzen had been shown the yellow card for preventing fair release, brought Leinster to within a converted score of victory but hard though the visitors tried they could not find a way to score, leaving Glasgow deserved winners.
GLASGOW WARRIORS: R Lamont; H O'Hare, G Morrison, S Barrow, T Evans; D Parks, G Beveridge; J Va'a, F Thomson, E Murray; A Newman, A Kellock (captain); S Swindall, J Barclay, J Beattie. Replacements: D Macfadzen for Beattie (24 mins), K Tkachuk for J Va'a (73 mins).
LEINSTER: G Dempsey; S Horgan, G D'Arcy, C Warner, D Hickie; F Contepomi (captain), C Whitaker; S Wright, B Blaney, W Green; T Hogan, M O'Kelly; C Jowitt, K Gleeson, J Heaslip. Replacements: O Finegan for O'Kelly (50 mins), R Corrigan for Green (60 mins), K McLaughlin for Hogan (67 mins), L Fitzgerald for Hickie (70 mins), H Vermaas for Jowitt (71 mins), R Kearney for Dempsey (76 mins).
Referee: T Hayes (WRU).
