BULLS 16 GLASGOW WARRIORS 21: Fantastic Warriors tame Bulls to win URC title in dramatic grand final

On what turned out to be a famous night for Scottish rugby, the glory belonged to the Glasgow Warriors. A champion performance from this season’s United Rugby Championship champion team.

As the final whistle blew in this thrilling Grand Final against the Bulls in Pretoria, it was the Scottish voices that roared in celebration.

Just as it was Scotland’s hands that were clasped around the trophy as Warriors skipper Kyle Steyn hoisted it high into the night sky.

Although the odds were against them, Franco Smith’s men showed defiance to achieve a seismic victory in South Africa.

Note this accordingly for ages. This is undoubtedly the greatest victory in Glasgow’s history, surpassing that of their victory against Munster when they won the trophy in 2015.

High on the Highveld, the Warriors were soaring to new heights and raising the bar for all of Scottish rugby.

Warriors captain is knocked down just short of the try line

They did it the hard way, beating defending champions Munster away last week in the semi-final before traveling to South Africa and conquering the Bulls.

Trailing 13-7 at half-time, Smith’s men were absolutely magnificent in the second half. They were dominant, although they had to survive a scare when the Bulls threatened to pinch right at the end.

But they were worthy winners. Smith has taken this team to new heights since taking charge two years ago and is now a Scotland manager-in-waiting, should he ever feel like it.

It was that Pro12 victory in 2015 that propelled Gregor Townsend into the Scottish role. Obviously, it shouldn’t be any different with Smith. Glasgow were led superbly by captain Steyn, but there were also some outstanding contributions from within their team.

Huw Jones was outstanding in attack and defense, while the backline trio of Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey and Rory Darge were simply colossal.

As night fell on Loftus Versfeld before kick-off, the sold-out crowd of 50,388 were treated to a spectacular fireworks display during the pre-match entertainment.

Huw Jones escapes to give the Warriors their third try of the night and give them the lead

Steyn was at the center of celebrations after the full-time whistle

Fireworks lit up the night sky above Pretoria as the teams prepared to face off in the Grand Final, with Bakkies Botha and Ryan Wilson winning the URC trophy.

A Bulls and Springbok legend, Botha built his career on being the enforcer for club and country and the World Cup-winning lock would have thrived in the physicality of that competition.

The Bulls had taken a 6-0 lead after 15 minutes, with two penalties from flyhalf Johan Goosen punishing Glasgow’s poor discipline.

The Warriors looked in tatters in these early stages. A wayward pass from Jones almost went spectacularly wrong as the Bulls sabotaged the loose ball upfield and chased it down.

They ultimately fell just short, and it was only a brilliant intervention from Darge to hold up the ball shortly afterwards that prevented a try from Bulls tight end Wilco Louw.

But Glasgow’s resistance will not last. In the 25th minute, sustained pressure from the Bulls led to flanker Marco van Staden scoring a try which Goosen converted.

The home team now led 13-0. The Glaswegians were pressed firmly against the wall, unable to escape the South African pressure.

One had to wonder what effect the trip had had on the visitors, who had rushed to Pretoria immediately after last weekend’s semi-final victory over Munster in Limerick.

George Horne kicked all three conversions to help the Warriors get over the line

Smith had been keen to arrive as early as possible to give his players the best possible chance to recover and acclimatize.

Glasgow finally got their act together just after the half-hour mark when Sebastian Cancelliere led them up the pitch with a powerful run that tore the Bulls’ hearts out.

The ball was then passed to compatriot Steyn at the other side, but the Warriors skipper lost possession on contact when he was just meters from the try line.

Glasgow desperately needed some sort of fulcrum in the game – and it duly arrived in what was the final play of the first half.

Camped deep in Bulls territory, they created good pressure and Scott Cummings finally took over from close range.

George Horne converted to reduce the arrears to 13-7 as the teams went down the tunnel at halftime.

Another Goosen penalty allowed the Bulls to extend their lead shortly after the break, before Glasgow hit back in stunning fashion.

It was a vintage Warriors score, demonstrating why their maul has been such a deadly weapon over the past two seasons since Smith took charge.

As he roared towards the line, the backs piled in to provide a little more oomph. It worked wonderfully, with hooker George Turner talking about his final game for Glasgow before heading to Japan.

Horne converted and Glasgow were just two points behind at 16-14 as the game entered the final 20 minutes. It had been a thrilling contest, with so little separating the two teams, and it was on a knife-edge heading into the final stages.

As was the case last week against Munster, Glasgow got stronger as the match progressed.

Their reward came when Josh McKay and Steyn combined to return the ball to Jones, who raced in to score his team’s third try of the evening.

On his return to South Africa, Jones wore a wide smile as he crossed the line, with Horne’s conversion putting Glasgow ahead 21-16.

It then looked as if Dempsey might well have secured victory when he collected a loose ball and raced through a gap.

The Scottish flanker showed brilliant pace going all the way, running from inside his own half to dive and score.

But the try was ruled out by Italian referee Andrea Piardi due to an infringement by Turner, who allegedly tackled Springbok star Kurt-Lee Arendse before he gained possession of the ball.

It was an incredibly close decision, marginal and the kind where a referee can often side with the home crowd.

Certainly, it was hard on Glasgow and Turner. Jones had been exceptional. The Scottish center, one of the players of the season, won a vital turnover in his own half in the final minutes to stave off prolonged pressure from the Bulls.

This set the stage for a frantic finale which saw Glasgow fly-half Tom Jordan sent to the dustbin with just two minutes remaining.

The Bulls won a succession of penalties and kicked for the corner, knowing a try would level the score while a converted try would see them pinch the score 23-21.

But Glasgow held on. It was a heartbreaking tragedy, but they survived to tell the tale. It had been an eternal victory and a performance of champions.