Following the Glasgow Warriors’ 21-12 victory over the Bulls, here are our five takeaways from the United Rugby Championship clash at Scotstoun Stadium.
Top line
A grudge match, a developing rivalry as the 2023/24 United Rugby Championship finalists squared off in round five of the new season.
The two teams headed into the clash with matching records, winning three of their opening four games of the season, but with the hosts ahead on the table, having collected two more bonus points than the visitors.
It was nip-and-tuck for much of the fixture, with momentum swinging throughout. Glasgow were first on the board as the brilliant Sione Tuipulotu swivelled over the line, escaping the clutches of three Bulls’ defenders to finally make the pressure that they put the visitors under in the opening five minutes pay.
The Bulls‘ reply did not take long as Willie Le Roux collected a high ball, quickly shifted the ball onto Sebastian de Klerk, who used his blistering pace to weave through the Glasgow defence before sending fellow winger Stravino Jacobs over the line. Keagan Johannes’ missed conversion attempt meant that it was the hosts who held a two-point advantage, which is how things remained at halftime.
The arm-wrestling, knockout nature of the match continued in the second half with the Bulls first on the board through Le Roux who ran a direct line and went over the line untouched after some great work by David Kriel and Ruan Nortje.
Le Roux looked to have added an assist to his tally not too long after as he linked up superbly with the returning Kurt-Lee Arendse on a counter-attack, but that try was ruled out for a knock-on at a breakdown, a let-off for the hosts and one that they well and truly capitalised on.
The Warriors can produce truly mesmerising attacks, but muscle was the order of the day as Franco Smith’s charges flexed their maul superiority, earning a penalty try for their efforts in the 65th minute, before Nathan McBeth crashed over the line, after returning from the sin bin, following another impressive maul.
McBeth’s score gave the Warriors a nine-point advantage with 10 minutes left to play and left needing just one more try for a bonus point. However, they fell short in their pursuit of an extra point while the Bulls leave Scotstoun Stadium empty-handed.
Bulls plug defensive leaks
While the Bulls have enjoyed a strong start to life under Johan Ackermann, one area of their game has been frankly shocking: the defence.
In fact, only the Dragons conceded more tries (19) than the Bulls in the first four weeks of 2025/26, and they have yet to win a match. However, facing the imposing prospect of the Warriors at Scotscoun Stadium on Friday evening, the once questionable defence had answers.
Heading into the clash, the Bulls and Glasgow were the competition’s best attacking teams, having notched up the most tries, dotting 19 and 20 times, respectively. However, what sets the Warriors apart is the multitude of ways they are able to break down defences, particularly with the power and efficiency of their maul. Today, that was the difference between the two sides as was the source of their two latter scores.
Few, if any, teams in Europe can keep the Glasgow maul quiet for 80 minutes and for the most part, the Bulls were successful in doing so, but eventually the pressure told. What will be a positive for Ackerman will be the manner in which his team scrambled and scrapped on defence despite the immense pressure the Warriors exerted on them.
Glasgow bossed possessions (65%) and territory (75%) but still only managed to cross the whitewash on three occasions. Considering the all-court, power, pace and precision that the hosts possess, particularly at home, the Bulls can be mightily proud of their defence efforts. Many teams would have left Scotstoun Stadium off the back of a spanking after giving the Scottish outfit those kinds of opportunities.
Playmaker battle
The Glasgow maul brilliance and pack brutality certainly deserve their flowers today, but the performance of Adam Hastings cannot go unmentioned.
With Gregor Townsend in attendance, the fly-half would have been eager to impress and impress he did. He was simply excellent from his sharp distribution to his game management as Glasgow choked the Bulls into submission in the final quarter of the match.
It was a systematic breakdown of the men from Pretoria who held on for dear life as Hastings repeatedly pinned them back into their own half.
The Bulls were not only starved of possession but also possession in Glasgow’s half, and much of that was down to Hastings emphatically winning the kicking duels.
The visitors weren’t aided by the performance of Johannes at number ten, though, as the halfback had a nightmarish shift at fly-half. There is no doubting that the 25-year-old is a quality scrum-half, but he leaves much to be desired as a fly-half at this level.
He stepped into the role during an injury crisis last season under Jake White and had bright moments and games where he took control of proceedings, but there is a step up against opponents like Glasgow, particularly away from home, and today he was unable to make it.
Far too often, his high bombs were too short, with the same true for his clearance, while he crucially missed touch with a penalty kick, and Hastings sent the Bulls comfortably back into their half.
Johannes is certainly a stop-gate option at number 10 against lesser opposition in the URC, but not a team as good as Glasgow. The Bulls needed a Johan Goosen or Handre Pollard to turn the tide, and if the pair are going to be absent for long spells over the season, Ackermann needs to find solutions beyond Johannes and even Le Roux.
Maul masters
Statistically, Glasgow have the best maul in the URC this season, and it was firing when it mattered most today, delivering two tries at a crucial time in the match.
With the Bulls’ defence finding some structure after some suspect tackling early in the early knockings and their scrum dominating despite the absence of Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Wilco Louw, Smith’s charges needed a solution and turned their super-weapon to save the day.
It’s become a hallmark of this team and has repeatedly seen them come out on top in such closely fought matches.
How Glasgow managed the sin-binning period was also crucial to victory, but once they kept the Bulls scoreless during McBeth’s visit to the sideline, the maul struck and struck again to deliver the deadly blows.
Test watch
While Townsend was in attendance, Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus will have kept a close eye on proceedings with both head coaches left with plenty to smile about.
For Erasmus, Gerhard Steenekamp has been in a destructive mood since his long-awaited return from injury, and the loosehead prop made light work of Murphy Walker and Sam Talakai in a demolition job of the Warriors’ scrum. He was no slouch around the park either, landing 15 tackles in a mammoth 71-minute shift where he showed no signs of rust. The Boks have more than coped without Steenekamp, but there is no doubt that he is a world-class front rower and he showed it.
Meanwhile, Ruan Nortje made his first appearance for the Bulls after an extended break following the Rugby Championship and wasted no time in getting back to business, producing an action-packed performance. Sure, there were errors in his game, but that comes with the insane amount of work he gets through.
Kurt-Lee Arendse also looked in stunning nick during his cameo, having last played in the opening round of the Rugby Championship, while Erasmus will be keeping tabs on Reinhardt Ludwig, who continues to impress, whether it be at lock or flank.
As for Townsend, he witnessed a stunning display from Hastings, and while the Glasgow number ten is unlikely to usurp Finn Russell for the big matches this November, he could be entrusted with the playmaking duties against USA or Tonga.
What will be even more pleasing for the head coach was the performance of Jack Dempsey, who was named man of the match in his first game since March. He was abrasive and destructive as ever, with his return certainly worth the wait. Dempsey was ably assisted by the brilliant Matt Fagerson and the bullish Gregor Brown as the trio put in an abrasive and effective shift in the back row.
Scott Cummings was also excellent as was his locking partner, Max Williamson, while Stafford McDowall continues to shine in the absence of Huw Jones.