Match Preview | Vodacom Bulls [A]

• 9 May 2024

It’s Round 16 of the BKT United Rugby Championship. Glasgow are in South Africa to take on fellow top four side the Vodacom Bulls.

Retaining the top spot is on the Warriors’ agenda as they head into the clash against the South African club. With one win apiece, Franco Smith’s men will be looking to defeat the Vodacom Bulls on home turf.

Momentum is on the side of the Warriors. They have won every game since the new year and come into this fixture having put 40 points on Zebre Parma last month.

Glasgow will be looking to capitalise on their six-game run and win a seventh in a row. Although, the Warriors have not won seven in a row in the Championship since 2019. Determined to change that, Glasgow will be looking to win four or five points to keep them at the top of the table this weekend.

OPPOSITION LOWDOWN

The Vodacom Bulls currently sit fourth in the URC table. Only seven points behind Glasgow, Saturday’s result will be pivotal in deciding who gets a play-off spot.

A team defined by their big tackles and physicality up front, the hosts will take on the Warriors in a highly contested battle.

In their squad, the Vodacom Bulls have Chris Smith, second best kicker in the URC this season with an 89% kicking success rate. John Goosen from the Bulls stands as the URC’s second-best points scorer after Edinburgh Rugby’s Ben Healy. Furthermore, with successful try-scorers littered in their entire team, this weekend is shaping up to be a high-scoring game.

Vodacom Bulls’s two game losing run in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship ended with their 61-24 victory against Ospreys in Round 15 at Loftus Versfeld. However, the Vodacom Bulls have lost their last two encounters with Scottish opponents.

The short history of this fixture has always gone in the favour of the home side. Glasgow will be looking to snatch the win from the hosts to keep their home quarter-final hopes closely in sight.