Glasgow 22 - 19 Leinster: Glasgow edge out Leinster for winning start to new campaign

While Glasgow were closer to full-strength than a Leinster side missing more than ten internationalists, the difference in the spine of experience between the sides looked at half-time to be too much for Glasgow to cope with. They recovered from a shaky early scrum but struggled to match the physicality elsewhere across the pitch and went into the break 16-6 behind.

Fergus McFadden and Ruaridh Jackson swapped penalties inside the opening five minutes and Jamie Heaslip, the Ireland and British and Irish Lions No8, provided early evidence that Leinster had not heeded the change in refereeing emphasis, where the tackler must roll away when the man in possession hits the ground, and was the first of a plethora of Leinstermen penalised at the ruck by Welsh whistler Tim Hayes.

Glasgow were nervy, defending well but giving up possession cheaply. McFadden put Leinster ahead with a penalty in the 15th minute and from a clever Isa Nacewa chip, after solid work by the Leinster pack, Heaslip should have created the first try for Dominic Ryan, but his pass ten metres out was forward.

Glasgow had their own slice of luck when Jackson hoisted a high ball to the right touchline and Niall Morris, the Leinster wing, and his full-back Luke Fitzgerald clashed going for it and were deemed to have crossed in front of the Glasgow chasers. Jackson superbly converted from close to the touchline.

However, Glasgow then shot themselves in the foot. The impressive Henry Pyrgos put another high ball onto Morris, and the winger was swiftly deposited into touch by DTH van der Merwe. All good. But then Fergus Thomson's lineout was met by no jumpers and Heaslip took the ball and broke, fed inside to Ryan and the blindside flanker showed a fine turn of pace to race in from 40 metres for the game's first try with 24 minutes gone.

Glasgow responded well with good work by half-backs Pyrgos and Jackson, the latter niftily nipping into the Leinster 22 and the former then releasing van der Merwe. The winger was caught and held a metre short of the line, and Leinster reverted to type and buried the ball.Referee Hayes awarded a penalty and Stortoni took it quickly, but the defenders were not back five metres and Leinster survived.

Glasgow should have done better when Leinster fluffed a lineout of their own outside the home 22, but gave up possession meekly and, with six minutes remaining to half-time, they aimed another shot at their own feet. They first lost ball at the back of their own scrum on halfway, Isaac Boss broke upfield and, in a comedy of errors, the Leinster scrum-half got a despairing hand to the ball after it had been kicked by Max Evans and then Arambaru and landed against a prone Jackson, which the television match official confirmed.

Glasgow almost responded in kind when Thomson found Ryan Wilson at the front of the lineout and took a pass back, but the hooker's lineout throw was straight to the flanker, who had stepped away from the lineout, and the Irishmen went into half-time looking comfortable.

Glasgow restarted with prop Jon Welsh on for Ryan Grant, who made an instant difference to disrupt Leinster's scrum. The visitors replaced their prop and hooker and John Fogarty, the Ireland hooker who came on, was running off again within a minute when yellow-carded for punching Stortoni. Jackson pulled the subsequent penalty wide but hit the target with a second attempt.

Nathan Hines, Leinster's Scotland lock, then stood behind a Scottish ruck and handed the hosts another penalty, and though Jackson was again just off-target, from 35 metres, the momentum was clearly shifting Glasgow's way.

Back to 15 men Leinster lifted the pace, but Glasgow responded in a thrilling finale. Their accuracy and consistency was still lacking - the fact that Chris Cusiter, Al Kellock, Johnnie Beattie and John Barclay were sitting in the stand noticeable - but the Glasgow players made up for it with a terrific work-rate to keep the game in the visitors' half.

With 14 minutes remaining the Firhill support was on its feet when Arambaru and McArthur made good breaks, and Duncan Weir, just on for Jackson, put Van der Merwe into the right-hand corner, the stand-off converting from the touchline to level the scores.

The gifted 19-year-old then followed up with a drop-goal with nine minutes to go, but Nacewa replied with a penalty which, again, owed everything to Glasgow errors, this time their failure to claim the restart. Pyrgos then set up another platform with a neat chip which Graeme Morrison turned into a Glasgow lineout, and when that was hauled down Weir was handed another penalty chance with just over three minutes to go.Weir slotted the kick and, just as importantly, Glasgow secured the restart with a fine take by Muldowney.

Inexperience reared its head again in a nervy last minute as a free-kick was conceded, but the roar that greeted a drop-goal attempt by Nacewa fading wide of the uprights with the last kick revealed that Glasgow had done enough to land a deserved opening day win.

Scorers: Glasgow: Try: Van der Merwe. Pens: Jackson (3). Drop-goal: Weir. Con - Weir. Leinster: Tries: Ryan, Boss. Pens: McFadden (2), Nacewa.

Glasgow: B Stortoni (capt); DTH van der Merwe, M Evans, G Morrison, F Aramburu; R Jackson, H Pyrgos; J Welsh, F Thomson, M Low, T Ryder, R Gray, R Wilson, C Forrester, R Vernon. Subs: P MacArthur for Thomson 59, E Kalman for Low 67, R Grant for Welsh 40mins, A Muldowney for Ryder 67, R Harley for Wilson 50, D Weir for Jackson 65, H O'Hare for Arambaru 72.

Leinster: L Fitzgerald; S Horgan, E O'Malley, F McFadden, N Morris; I Nacewa, I Boss; H van der Merwe, R Strauss, S Shawe, N Hines, E O'Donoghue, D Ryan, S O'Brien (capt), J Heaslip.

Subs: J Fogarty for Strauss 49, B Prescott for Shawe 45mins, S Keogh for Heaslip 68, I Madigan for Horgan 55, E Sheridan for McFadden 67.