Glasgow Warriors were beautiful for 28 minutes - and then it turned ugly

They led 21-3 and all looked rosy in Franco Smith’s garden. Then suddenly the Bulls came along and ripped things up. They scored a try while their own lock, Ruan Nortje, was in the sin-bin, trimming Glasgow’s lead to 21-10 at the interval.

It was the momentum shift that changed things entirely. The Warriors were as impotent in the second half as they were dangerous in the first and they could not stop the by now rampant Bulls. Two tries in nine minutes, from Embrose Papier and Francois Klopper, turned the game on its head and from being 18 points in front, Glasgow found themselves 22-21 down.

There were still 26 minutes remaining but there were no more points scored and Glasgow’s season was ended in a brutal fashion: ousted in the semi-final of the United Rugby Championship when a final at Murrayfield was in their grasp.

So, farewell then, Jack Dempsey, Adam Hastings and Sione Vailanu. All played on Saturday but will now leave the club. So too will Huw Jones, Jamie Bhatti and Johnny Matthews who weren’t involved in the semi-final.

It feels like the end of an era and a rebuilding job will be required. The hope is that Smith gets the backing from Scottish Rugby. Having transformed the club in his four seasons in charge, it is the least he deserves.

He spoke afterwards of his pride in the squad but the coach must have felt this game was theirs for the taking. Almost 18,000 supporters had turned up for the Murrayfield semi-final, more than double Scotstoun’s capacity, and there was even the odd Edinburgh jersey among the Warrior Nation.

They were noisy and partisan - booing Handre Pollard’s penalty attempts - but couldn’t quite push Glasgow over the line. The Warriors had one penalty in the second half from 40 metres which they opted to kick to the corner, rather than go for the points. That is the Glasgow way and it is great to watch but maybe this was a time for pragmatism.

Easy to be wise after the event, of course, and Pollard subsequently had three kicks at goal and missed them all. In the end, it didn’t matter - the Bulls were able to preserve their slender lead and a campaign that promised so much for Glasgow was ended.

Smith’s side had worked hard to top the standings in the URC regular season and secure home advantage in the play-offs. They beat Connacht convincingly in the quarter-final at Scotstoun but this was a major step up against opponents who fielded 11 Springboks in their starting side and had another five on the bench.

The one that got away for Glasgow Warriors

The Warriors supporters stayed on long after the final whistle to applaud their players, a mixture of loyalty and defiance. But they will go home knowing this was a game that got away from their team who led 21-3 but lost 21-22.

There was a blow before kick-off for the home side when George Horne failed a fitness test, his injured hand still too tender. His place at scrum-half was taken by Jamie Dobie, playing his first match since damaging his shoulder playing for Scotland in the Calcutta Cup on February 14.

Dobie looked sharp enough but it was the Bulls drew first blood, Pollard kicking a penalty from in front of the posts after Gregor Hiddleston had been penalised. Things went awry for the Springboks fly-half soon after. With Glasgow on the attack, he was guilty of a deliberate knock on and sent to the sin-by by referee Andrew Brace.

With the visitors down to 14 men this was a chance for Glasgow and they seized it with two tries from Kyle Steyn.

His first came after the Bulls failed to deal with a bouncing ball on their own 22. Kyle Rowe forced them into touch and from the lineout Glasgow executed an excellent backs move which culminated in Rowe finding Steyn with a pass which was perfect in its accuracy and timing. Dan Lancaster landed the conversion from the touchline.

If anything, Steyn’s second try was even better. Zander Fagerson, Lancaster and Sione Tuipulotu were all involved, with the latter putting Steyn in the clear with a delayed pass.

Two converted tries in three minutes while Pollard was in the bin made it 14-3 and there was more to come. If the backs had hogged the limelight in the opening quarter, the third try was down to Glasgow’s big men. The Bulls couldn’t deal with Glasgow’s maul and when they pulled it down, Brace awarded a penalty try and yellow-carded Nortje.

It was 21-3 after 25 minutes and the Bulls had hardly fired a shot. They soon woke up, and the revival began 10 minutes before the break. Marcell Coetzee looked as if he had scored from close range but it was chalked when it emerged that Matt Fagerson had dislodged the ball before it had been grounded.

Play went back for a penalty and there was no stopping the visitors this time, hooker Johan Grobbelaar marking his 150th Bulls appearance with a try. Pollard’s conversion cut Glasgow’s lead to 21-10.

The South Africans began the second half strongly but Scott Cummings could consider himself unlucky to be sin-binned for persistent infringements. The Bulls took full advantage with two tries against the 14 men. Scrum-half Papier got the first, sniping from close range, and then tighthead prop Klopper got in on the act after great work by No 8 Cameron Hanekom. Pollard was off target with the first conversion but landed the second to edge the Bulls 22-21 ahead.

There were 57 minutes on the clock when Glasgow kicked their penalty to touch rather than go for the posts. Smith emptied his bench and Stafford McDowall tried to rouse the crowd.

The supporters responded but the Warriors just couldn’t find a way back. They were second best in the scrum and the spaces they were finding in the first half had been swallowed up.

Pollard should have extended the Bulls’ lead but was wayward with three penalty attempts. It didn’t matter in the end. Glasgow’s last attack was extinguished when Stedman Gans tackled Adam Hastings, meaning the Bulls were through to their fourth URC final in five years. They will meet either Leinster or the Stormers.

Teams and scorers

Scorers: Glasgow: Tries: Steyn 2, penalty try. Cons: Lancaster 2. Bulls: Tries: Grobbelaar, Papier, Klopper. Cons: Pollard 2. Pens: Pollard.

Yellow cards: Pollard (Bulls, 9min), Nortje (Bulls, 25min), Cummings (Glasgow, 44min).

Glasgow Warriors: J McKay; K Steyn (capt), S McDowall, S Tuipulotu, K Rowe; D Lancaster (A Hastings 67), J Dobie; P Schickerling (R Sutherland 63), G Hiddleston (S Stephen 63), Z Fagerson (S Talakai 63), S Cummings, A Samuel (J Oguntibeju 63), M Fagerson, R Darge (S Vailanu 74), J Dempsey (E Ferrie 63). Replacement not used: J Oliver.

Vodacom Bulls: W le Roux; K-L Arendse, C Moodie (S Gans 40-54; 75), H Vorster, S Jacobs; H Pollard, E Papier; G Steenekamp (J-H Wessels 67), J Grobbelaar, F Klopper (W Louw 63), R Vermaak, R Nortje (C Wiese 63), M Coetzee (M van Staden 60), E Louw (J Rudolph 60), C Hanekom (N Carr 63). Replacement not used: Zak Burger.

Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU).

Attendance: 17,981.