Glasgow Warriors reaction: praise for player of match but scrum-half injured

The South African visitors led 14-12 at half-time on a stormy night but it was the hosts who finished on top in a hugely physical battle which boiled over briefly during the second half.

McDowall, who scored his side’s fourth try, had been selected at outside centre ahead of Huw Jones and rewarded his coach with a man-of-the-match performance. The Warriors’ other tries came from Max Williamson, Jack Dempsey and Patrick Schickerling. Dan Lancaster kicked a conversion and Adam Hastings, the replacement stand-off, added a late, late penalty.

Unlike Glasgow, the Bulls went for the points when awarded penalties within kickable range and Handre Pollard knocked three over in the first half. Johann Grobbelaar and Marco van Staden weighed in with a try each for the Bulls, with David Kriel converting the latter’s.

He's hardly played a bad game for us

Smith ranked it as one of the toughest matches of the season and said he had no qualms about selecting McDowall, making clear he rated the Stewartry centre as highly as his more celebrated team-mates, Jones and Sione Tuipulotu.

“I think it's the public that must give Stafford a vote of confidence, not me,” said the Glasgow coach. “I've picked him often and he's hardly played a bad game for us. I think the perception out there is that he's not the first-choice player but he’s a first-choice player for us. Maybe some games and some situations are different, but again, he proved tonight the player that he is.”

The only sour note for Glasgow was an ankle injury sustained by George Horne which forced the scrum-half off in the first half. With Jamie Dobie also currently sidelined by a shoulder injury, it means Glasgow may have to rely on the relatively youthful Ben Afshar and Jack Oliver against Toulon. Afshar, who came on for Dobie, was excellent against the Bulls.

The victory was a reward for Glasgow’s bravery on a night when they refused to deviate from their philosophy of turning down kickable penalties in favour of going for tries. Their attacking instincts paid off and they scored two tries in each half.

“It's our DNA, it's the way we play,” said Smith.

Storm Dave made conditions difficult but the Bulls had the wind behind them in the first half and made the early running. Pollard kicked his first penalty in the 11th minute after Glasgow were guilty of sealing off.

It was the jolt the Warriors needed. From the restart, they took the game to the visitors, and when the Bulls conceded a couple of penalties there was no question of Glasgow taking the easy three points. Tries were what they were after and they kicked to the corner.

It looked to have backfired after the Bulls stole their lineout but they recovered and McDowall stepped inside and broke from halfway. The ball went loose and Matt Fagerson took it on, feeding Horne who looked set to score until Grobbelaar’s last-ditch tackle. The ever-alert Horne was able to get the offload away for the supporting Williamson to score, his second try in consecutive weeks. Dan Lancaster’s conversion made it 7-3 to the hosts.

The Bulls were the last away team to beat Glasgow at Scotstoun and they got their noses back in front eight minutes later. Grobbelaar finished off the move in the corner but the bulk of the credit should go to Kriel for his brilliant blind pass over his shoulder.

McDowall turned to the crowd

Pollard couldn’t land the conversion from out wide but knocked over his second penalty soon after to increase the Bulls’ lead to 11-7.

For the second time in the match, the South African side failed to deal with the restart and Glasgow made the most of it. Another penalty, and another kick to the corner allowed them to set up the driving maul and Dempsey was able to peel off and score.

Lancaster couldn’t convert but the Warriors had regained the lead. However, their hopes of going into the break in front were punctured by Pollard who kicked his third penalty to nudge the Bulls ahead 14-12.

The decision to pick McDowall was partly due to Smith’s belief that the former’s mighty left boot could be a big asset in the conditions. He unleashed it to good effect early in the second half, turning defence into attack as the ball spun devilishly into the Bulls 22. The crowd loved it and so did McDowall who turned to the stand and implored them to make even more noise.

Tempers boil over

The game was crackling along nicely and Glasgow were pushing to regain the lead. They did so through Schickerling and it was a reward for trusting their attacking instincts. Awarded a penalty close to the Bulls line, they went for a short tap and moved the ball wide. Off the second phase, Schickerling drove his way over with the help of Gregor Hiddleston. The Warriors now held a 17-14 advantage.

It was an eagerly contested match to say the least and tempers boiled over when Ollie Smith was tackled into touch and not released. Captain Kyle Steyn was in the thick of it and when the dust settled Glasgow had the penalty which led indirectly to their fourth try, and it was the best of the night.

The Warriors build the phases but when Euan Ferrie slung the ball out the back it was the cue for a quick Glasgow passing move as the ball went out the line from Lancaster to Tuipulotu to McKay for McDowall to score in the corner.

Glasgow’s lead was now eight points but the Bulls weren’t done and Marco van Staden squeezed his way over from close range with four minutes remaining. Kriel, a transfer target for Glasgow earlier in the season, converted to reduce the lead to a point.

The home side didn’t panic and a stirring run from McKay took them deep into the Bulls 22. There was no way back for the South Africans. They killed the ball at the ruck and had Elrigh Louw yellow-carded. This time Glasgow did opt to kick the penalty but not until the clock had ticked past the 80-minute mark. Hastings, a late sub, delivered from in front of the posts and raised his right arm in triumph.

Teams and scorers at Scotstoun

Scorers: Glasgow Warriors: Tries: Williamson, Dempsey, Schickerling, McDowall. Con: Lancaster. Pen: Hastings.

Bulls: Tries: Grobbelaar, van Staden. Con: Kriel. Pens: Pollard 3.

Yellow card: Elrigh Louw (Bulls, 79)

Glasgow Warriors: 15. J McKay; 14. K Steyn (c), 13. S McDowall, 12. S Tuipulotu, 11. O Smith; 10. D Lancaster (23. Adam Hastings 76), 9. G Horne (22. B Afshar 33); 1. P Schickerling (17. Jamie Bhatti 67), 2. G Hiddleston (16. Seb Stephen 67), 3. Z Fagerson ( 18. Sam Talakai 67), 4. MaWilliamson (20. Euan Ferrie 51), 5. Alex Samuel, 6. Matt Fagerson, 7. Rory Darge (21. Angus Fraser 72), 8. Jack Dempsey. Replacement not used:19. Jare Oguntibeju.

Vodacom Bulls: 15. David Kriel; 14. Cheswill Jooste, 13. Canan Moodie, 12. Harold Vorster, 11. Kurt-Lee Arendse (22. Stedman Gans h-t); 10. Handre Pollard (23. Willie le Roux 73), 9. Embrose Papier (21. Zak Burger 73); 1. Gerhard Steenekamp (17. Jan-Hendrik Wessels 67), 2. Johann Grobbelaar, 3. Francois Klopper (18. Mornay Smith 67), 4. Ruan Vermaak (19. Cobus Wiese 69), 5. Ruan Nortje, 6. Marcell Coetzee (16. Marco van Staden 61), 7. Elrigh Louw, 8. Cameron Hanekom (20. Jeandre Rudolph 50).

Referee: Pierre Brousset (Fra).