Bulls stun Glasgow Warriors with 18-point comeback in URC semi-final

The Bulls recovered from an 18-point deficit to defeat Glasgow Warriors 22-21 in the United Rugby Championship semi-final at Murrayfield.

Defeat brings more heartbreak for the Scottish outfit, who were hoping to preserve their hopes of silverware after exiting the Champions Cup at the quarter-final stage.

The South African visitors will now contest their fourth Grand Final on 20 June against either Leinster or the Stormers.

Steyn double puts Glasgow in control

Handre Pollard initially gave the away side a penalty lead before being sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on.

The table-toppers capitalised immediately when Kyle Rowe found Kyle Steyn to cross the whitewash.

Moments later, Sione Tuipulotu provided a brilliant offload for the Glasgow captain to score his second try in almost the exact same spot.

Things went from bad to worse for the Pretoria-based franchise when a rolling maul resulted in a penalty try for the hosts.

Ruan Nortje was subsequently sent to the sin-bin in the aftermath of the collapse.

Bulls stage dramatic fightback

The visitors urgently needed a response and finally broke through right before the interval.

Johan Grobbelaar touched down following a powerful push at the line, cutting the half-time deficit to 21-10.

Momentum shifted drastically early in the second period when Warriors lock Scott Cummings was yellow-carded for repeated infringements.

Embrose Papier immediately took advantage of the extra space to skip over for a crucial second try.

The turnaround was completed shortly after as Cameron Hanekom broke the defensive line to set up Francois Klopper under the posts.

That score capped a run of 19 unanswered points, putting the two-time runners-up into a narrow lead they would never relinquish.

Frustration for Smith

Despite Pollard missing three consecutive penalties in the closing stages, the hosts failed to generate any attacking momentum from late scrums.

Head coach Franco Smith admitted his side gave away too much ground defensively during the second-half collapse.

I’m obviously disappointed with the result.

Bulls did very well in the second half. For now, disappointed – not with the effort or how we played, just the result.

We gave too many yards in defence and that’s most disappointing. I know this group, we can deliver a better defensive performance.