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Heartbreak for Glasgow as Bulls end their URC dream for another year


EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - JUNE 06: Bulls' Ruan Nortje (L) and Nizaan Carr celebrate their side's 22-21 victory during a BKT United Rugby Championship Semi-Final match between Glasgow Warriors and Vodacom Bulls at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, on June 06, 2026, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group via Getty Images)
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Glasgow squandered a 21-3 lead as their United Rugby Championship hopes died with a 22-21 semi-final defeat by the Bulls at Murrayfield.

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The South Africans, who seized control in the second half after being dominated in the opening half hour, will visit either Leinster or Stormers in the final on June 20.

Bulls got the scoreboard up and running with a seventh-minute Handre Pollard penalty but the stand-off was swiftly sent to the sin bin for a deliberate knock-on.

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Glasgow took full advantage as captain Kyle Steyn ran in two tries within the space of five minutes on the right, both converted by Dan Lancaster.

Glasgow remained in the ascendancy after Pollard’s return to the fray and they were awarded a penalty try in the 25th minute after Ruan Nortje collapsed the maul. The Bulls lock was sent to the sin bin.

Fixture
United Rugby Championship
Glasgow
21 - 22
Full-time
Bulls
All Stats and Data

The 14-man visitors got themselves back in the game in the 32nd minute when Johan Grobbelaar pushed over from close range after a sustained spell of pressure. Pollard converted to make it 21-10 at the break.

The Bulls stepped up their fightback after the break and got their noses in front through close-range scores from Embrose Papier and Francois Klopper while Glasgow lock Scott Cummings was in the sin bin.

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Pollard missed three penalties in the final quarter but Bulls never looked in danger of letting their one-point lead slip.

Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay, Kyle Steyn (CAPT), Stafford McDowall, Sione Tuipulotu, Kyle Rowe, Dan Lancaster, George Horne; Patrick Schickerling, Gregor Hiddleston, Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings, Alex Samuel, Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey

Replacements: Seb Stephen, Rory Sutherland, Sam Talakai, Jare Oguntibeju, Euan Ferrie, Sione Vailanu, Jamie Dobie, Adam Hastings

Vodacom Bulls: Willie le Roux, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, Harold Vorster, Stravino Jacobs, Handre Pollard, Embrose Papier, Gerhard Steenekamp, Johan Grobbelaar, Francois Klopper, Ruan Vermaak, Ruan Nortje, Marcell Coetzee (CAPT), Elrigh Louw, Cameron Hanekom

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Replacements: Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Wilco Louw, Cobus Wiese, Jeandre Rudolph, Zak Burger, Stedman Gans, Nizaam Carr


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1 Comment
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WithExtraToast 1 hr ago

Those missed kicks from Pollard made the last few minutes much more tense than they needed to be.

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