If this turns out to be the season we all hope it will be, then this is one of the few defeats we’ll look back on and be proud of!
On the Highveld, touching the South African sun, the Warriors looked like they were about to be swept aside before an almost perfect comeback led to two invaluable points and kept them top of the table
Glasgow came to play, and when a sneaky little lineout from Grant Stewart to Matt Fagerson was gathered by the back rower, he smashed through tackles and barrelled over for the opening score. Perfect start! Keep this up and it will be job done in no time… ah, it’s not to be.
The Bulls came in to the game when captain Steyno carried a tackle on a little too high, he was having himself a 10-minute sit on the sideline. And they took almost immediate advantage and showed they too can be deadly from a line out. Game on!
They further punished the visitors during the sin bin with a second try, this time bundling the ball over near the posts. An exchange of penalties later meant Glasgow were unable to reduce the deficit as much as they’d have liked to.
Worse was to come shortly after and the Warriors were put to the sword by a stunning try from Elrigh Louw.
It’s the kind of score that we’re accustomed to seeing at Scotstoun and it was no less that the Bulls deserved to be fair.
READ MORE: Smith frustrated at slow start but praises second half comeback
Franco did something unseen and changed the entire front row! It was a gamble given there were still several minutes to go!
So get back to the sheds, regroup, rebuild and then come out battling for the second half? Not really! It got much worse before it got much better. Another well-worked score, finished off by Canan Moodie, converted by Chris Smith followed by another two Smith penalties had Glasgow a long way off the pace and a long way off the scoreboard.
But cometh the hour, cometh the captain. Steyno just can’t stop scoring just now, and just at exactly the right time of the season! Quick Warriors ball from Dobie, Tuipulotu and then a lovely long, hanging pass into the Pretoria sky found Steyn in acres of space and he had the pace to beat the last defender and get over the whitewash. Too little, too late… or was it?
With the Bulls pushing hard, Seb Cancelliere read the Bulls playbook, intercepted and scampered half of the field unopposed to give Glasgow try number three and put them on the brink of a try bonus point.
In a country famed for biltong, borewors and braais, it was fitting it was a meatball who got the bonus point and Warriors fans starting to believe the greatest comeback since Lazarus might actually be on.
Some beautiful attacking rugby got the Warriors to within just a few metres and when wee Duncy Weir picked it up and spotted a gap in the Bulls defence, he was through it, over the line and celebrating before you could say “That’s a spicy meatball!”.
The conversion was good and now, Glasgow were looking at a losing bonus point as well. Considering where we were, this was superb stuff.
Then Chris Smith pinged over another penalty and hopes looked like they would be dashed. The clock ticked into the red as Ben Whitehouse raised his arm and gave the Warriors a penalty. It was a relatively straight kick, but with that pressure and from that distance, by no means was it straightforward.
Wee Duncy stepped up, and with all the accuracy of a laser-guided missile, he leathered it straight through, with a good few metres to spare to salvage the losing bonus point. Nigel Carolan said that Warriors ran out of time to get the win and he might have a point. But we’ll take the two points anyway Nige!
Of course, I always want to see Glasgow win, who doesn’t. But I’m a realist. Going to the Bulls and coming away with any points was going to be very welcome.
They are the strongest of the South African sides and team with considerable talents and experience. They have a World Cup winning coach for God sake!
These points kept Glasgow top of the table and that could prove to be vital when the play-offs start. Any points any teams take in South Africa are to be applauded.
But now they have to do the same thing all over again. The quite literally enter the Lions den and one of rugby’s most iconic grounds. Ellis Park (the Emirates Airline Park) is one of those bucket list places. history cascades from every stand. Mandela, Pienaar, the 1995 World Cup final. Glasgow must ensure the Lions are tamed and keep themselves in the hunt for the mane prize (I’ll stop the lion puns now).
The Lions do not have the superstars of the other South African sides but looking for that final play-off place, they are no less dangerous. Glasgow will have to be at their best to get anything from this fixture and if they can get a victory, it would be massive.
They’d at least keep second place, possibly even first and with Zebre to come at home, in theory playing a lower ranked side would be a massive boost to our chances of making the final.
In addition this week, we’ve had a couple of bits of signing news. Murphy Walker is staying on at Scotstoun and he’ll be joined next season by Fin Richardson from Exeter/Cornish Pirates. The tighthead is Scottish qualified, giving Glasgow further options in the front row!
It’s shaping up to be a hell of an end to the season and with Franco already plotting next season, Glasgow are in a good place. It could be an even better place in a couple of weeks. Fingers crossed!
Time to show Simba and Mufasa who the real Lion Kings are… (Sorry, I know I said I’d stop but… I lied!).
Read the rules here