Munster maintained their impressive Magners League form with a gutsy 22-20 win over Glasgow Warriors in front of a near 7000 crowd at Musgrave Park on Saturday night.
With seventeen points from the boot of Ronan O'Gara, it was a victory that leaves them nine points clear at the top of the table as the competition makes way for the concluding Pool stages of the Heineken Cup.
As Man of the Match Donncha O'Callaghan readily admitted afterwards it wasn't a pretty performance, but there was much to admire about how Munster reacted after they'd conceded tries at crucial stages.
First time was when the game was tied three points apiece as half time approached and Munster concentration lapsed allowing Colin Gregor in under the posts for a seven pointer and a 10-3 interval lead.
Immediately from the restart Munster set out their stall in the area of the Glasgow 22 and cometh the moment cometh the man and besides Damien Varley, Paul Warwick, Denis Hurley, Mick O'Driscoll, that man was O'Gara who kicked three from three in the space of seven minutes to edge his side in front.
It got even better when David Wallace was rumbled over and O'Gara's conversion put nine points between the sides.
However right from the off, Warriors had signaled their intent and they responded in the best possible way with their second try just three minutes after that, DTH Van Der Merwe scooting over out wide and then running it in under the posts to leave Ruaridh Jackson with a simple conversion.
Then just to put it up to the League leaders, Jackson slammed over a drop goal to put the visitors in front.
In response, Munster launched a fierce onslaught, and after a series of forward drives, the ball was spread wide.
A try in the Dolphin corner looked odds on until Bernardo Stortoni deliberately knocked on a scoring pass.
Referee James Jones, booed-off at the end of the opening half, consulted his assistant referee before brandishing a yellow card for the Argentinean and then with the crowd baying for a penalty try, awarded simply a penalty.
A penalty five metres from the touchline.
The smart money of the on-looking mortals called for a kick to touch, a five metre line-out and forward drive for the precious score.
O'Gara though, is no mere mortal.
His thought process contemplated nothing more than the kicking tee.
Five metres in from the touchline, nerveless, sweet strike. Another three points, his seventeenth of the night.
It's what sets him apart.
Munster: P Warwick; D Hurley, K Earls, L Mafi, J Murphy; R O'Gara, P Stringer (O'Leary 62 mins); D Hurley, D Varley, J Hayes (Borlase 44 mins ); D O'Callaghan, M O'Driscoll, J Coughlan (Ryan 62 mins), D Wallace (Ronan 67 mins), D Leamy capt.
Glasgow Warriors: B Stortoni; A Dunbar, M Evans, P Murchie, DTH Van Der Merwe; R Jackson, C Gregor; R Grant, D Hall, M Low; R Gray, A Kellock capt; R Harley, J Barclay, J Beattie. Replacements: P McArthur, K Tkackuk, J Welash, A Muldowney, R Wilson, H Pyrgos, D McCall, P Horne.