Bulls player ratings vs Glasgow | 2025/26 Investec Champions Cup

Bulls player ratings: The Bulls came within a whisker of pulling off a famous win at a rain-lashed Scotstoun, producing a brave, abrasive performance in torrential conditions that cranked up the error count on both sides.

They led 14-12 at the break and were never out of the contest, but an avalanche of penalties ultimately proved fatal. Glasgow edged it 25-21 late on, yet the Bulls’ commitment, scrum dominance and defensive resolve hauled the contest right down to the wire.

Here are our Bulls player ratings:

1. Gerhard Steenekamp – 8
Outstanding at scrum time where the Bulls had the clear upper hand, especially in the opening quarter. Carried with intent and power and consistently got over the gainline. His night was only blemished by three penalties, including offsides, which dragged Glasgow back into it. Without those, this might have been higher.

2. Johan Grobbelaar – 7.5
Led the Bulls tackle count again and got his rewards with a well-taken try in the corner after a slick blindside move off the maul. Reliable in the carry and busy defensively, even if the Glasgow catch-and-drive caused problems all night.

3. Francois Klopper – 7
Solid in the scrum and held up well against a strong Glasgow front-row. Guilty of an ill-judged turnover early on and faded out as the weather worsened, but this was still a decent effort in tough conditions.

4. Ruan Vermaak – 8.5
Absolutely everywhere. Carried relentlessly, worked tirelessly at the breakdown and ground out hard yards when finesse was impossible. One of the Bulls’ standout performers and a huge reason they stayed in the contest for 80 minutes.

5. Ruan Nortje – 6.5
A nuisance for Glasgow at lineout time early on, but his night unravelled with a crucial missed tackle on Stafford McDowall in the lead-up to Max Williamson’s try. Mixed impact overall.

6. Marcell Coetzee – 6
Missed too many tackles, continuing an uncomfortable trend from last weekend, and struggled at times defensively. He did pop up as a nuisance at the breakdown in patches, but this was below his usual abrasive standard.

7. Elrigh Louw – 5
Another frustrating outing. Gave away four penalties, including a late yellow card that sucked the life out of the Bulls’ final push and allowed Adam Hasting to kick the final points of the contest. Well below what he’s capable of.

8. Cameron Hanekom – 6.5
A mixed bag. Made metres and beat defenders when switched on, but he looked lost at times and directly squandered a try by getting in Cheswill Jooste’s way. Quieter than expected for a player chasing Springbok honours.

9. Embrose Papier – 8
Excellent. Kicked cleverly in frightful conditions, controlled tempo well and consistently made good decisions. His game management kept the Bulls in the fight deep into the second half.

10. Handré Pollard – 7
A tough night physically. Kicked well in atrocious weather and slotted key penalties, but he was in the wars and copped an accidental boot to the head, which left his ear in ribbons. Held things steady.

11. Kurt-Lee Arendse – 5.5
Off at halftime without ever really threatening to cut loose. Looked dangerous when he did see the ball, but opportunities were few and far between.

12. Harold Vorster – 5.5
The game largely passed him by. Didn’t do much wrong defensively, but offered little in attack as the Bulls struggled to generate midfield momentum. A bit of a pedestrian at times.

13. Canan Moodie – 6.5
Bright first half where he presented a genuine threat ball in hand and produced a massive hit on McDowall before the break. Received treatment early in the second half and was quieter thereafter.

14. Cheswill Jooste – 6
A threat whenever he got space, but errors at critical moments blemished his night. Had no answer for Patrick Schickerling’s finish on 58 minutes, which proved costly.

15. David Kriel – 7
Produced a sublime pass to send Grobbelaar over in the corner and later kicked a crucial conversion to keep the Bulls alive. Also guilty of spilling the ball forward with a try chance looming, summing up a mixed but influential performance.

Replacements – 5
Marco van Staden made an impact with a late try to give the Bulls a final shot at glory, but his earlier penalty was expensive. Discipline hurt the Bulls off the bench, with momentum repeatedly handed back to Glasgow when it mattered most.