Glasgow Warriors 21-22 Vodacom Bulls

Kyle Steyn’s brace of tries and a penalty try ultimately proved in vain for the hosts, despite the backing of almost 18,000 at the home of Scottish rugby.

Despite the early attacking endeavour coming from the Warriors, it was the visitors who were first to trouble the scorers as the smoke from the pre-match pyrotechnics cleared inside Scottish Gas Murrayfield. Handre Pollard made no mistake with a penalty from 20 metres after a Glasgow indiscretion at the breakdown, giving his side a 3-0 lead after six minutes.

Yet with Pollard in the sin-bin after a deliberate knock-on, Franco Smith’s men set about their hunt for a first score of their own. It arrived with 14 minutes on the clock to a deafening roar, clean set-piece ball and slick handling allowing Kyle Rowe to fling the ball wide to Steyn. The captain was in no mood to be stopped as he hit the line at full tilt, touching down in the corner for a try that – converted well by Lancaster from the touchline – gave the hosts a 7-3 lead.

With Pollard’s return from the sidelines imminent, the Warriors made their numerical advantage count once more just moments later. Sublime work in the midfield from Sione Tuipulotu and Lancaster set Rowe free on the touchline, the winger haring into the Bulls 22. Quick ball then saw Jack Dempsey punch a hole in the defence, and when the ball was quickly recycled once again Tuipulotu was on hand to give the scoring pass to Steyn for the try. Lancaster added the extras and the home side had a 14-3 advantage.

The Warrior Nation knew something special was building, and their team rose to meet the volume. Rory Darge was causing havoc at the breakdown, and when the openside’s work won a penalty that Lancaster dispatched to the corner, the pack went to work. An unstoppable rolling maul forced Ruan Nortje to bring play down illegally, referee Andrew Brace duly awarding a penalty try to make it 21-3 and sending the Bulls man to the sin-bin for good measure.

Marcell Coetzee thought he had responded for the Bulls as the game ticked past the half-hour mark, only for the South African international’s celebrations to be cut short by the TMO spotting a knock-on in the build-up. The visitors were not to be denied for long though, Johan Grobelaar forcing his way over after 32 minutes, Pollard converting to narrow the deficit.

That would cap off the scoring in a frenetic opening 40 minutes, and with the Bulls knowing the next score could prove crucial, the visitors were also first strike following the restart. Embrose Papier’s close-range snipe saw the scrum-half dot down with 45 minutes gone, only for Pollard to skew the conversion wide and leave the scoreline reading 21-15 in Glasgow’s favour.

Momentum was now with the Bulls, and with Scott Cummings in the sin-bin the visitors retook the lead with 53 minutes on the clock. Cameron Hanekom’s charge took the back-rower close, allowing Francois Klopper to pick up and barge over from a metre out. Pollard converted, and the Bulls had a one-point advantage.

Gone was the free-flowing rugby of the first half, with both sides now fighting tooth and nail for every scrap of territory and possession. Pollard was off-target with a penalty from 45 metres with 15 minutes to play, before missing a chance to atone by striking the uprights from 35 metres out in front of the posts just three minutes later.

Still the Warriors came forward, a burst from Seb Stephen underlining the energy from the replacements as the home side searched for a riposte. Time and again the Bulls defence held firm though, as the Pretoria-based outfit held firm.

In the end, the clock would beat the Warriors, Grobelaar counting down the seconds at the back of a maul before dispatching the ball into the stands. It will be the Bulls who run out for the Grand Final in a fortnight’s time, yet the Warrior Nation made sure to recognise their side’s effort. More than half an hour after the full-time whistle the supporters would be in the stands to show their appreciation for their team – a support that raised the roof at Scottish Gas Murrayfield.