Glasgow outplay Bulls for second home win
The Glasgow Warriors produced a superb performance on attack and defence against the Vodacom Bulls in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash at the Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow on Saturday to outscore the visitors five tries to three for a well-deserved 35-21 victory.
The win for the hosts marked their second in as many games at home this season, while it ended the Pretoria outfit’s three-match unbeaten run.
The big difference between the hosts and the Vodacom Bulls in the first half was their ability to use their try-scoring chances, which saw them snatch four tries for their bonus point, while they limited the visitors to one converted try by Kurt-Lee Arendse.
The Vodacom Bulls outscored the hosts two tries to one in a tightly contested second half in which they both also received yellow cards, but the Glasgow Warriors’ strong first-half showing was enough to seal the rewarding victory for them.
Glasgow No 8 Matt Fagerson struck first for the home side in the sixth minute from a pick-and-go after intense pressure applied by the Warriors in the opening exchanges, and minutes later wing Sebastian Cancelliere forced his way over after some hard running and slick hands on attack, which handed the hosts a 14-0 lead.
The Vodacom Bulls hit back with a try by Arendse in the 19th minute after he gathered a great pass following a knock-on by the hosts, and flyhalf Chris Smith’s conversion saw them reduce their deficit to seven points.
Glasgow responded with a try by lock Scott Cummings from a pick-and-go in the 22nd minute, which extended their lead to 21-7.
The visitors from Pretoria fought back hard with one effort after the other close to the tryline, but they were denied after conceding three breakdown penalties within striking range of the tryline.
In stark contrast, Glasgow continued to make the most of their chances with scrumhalf George Horne stretching over for their bonus-point try in 36th minute after dashing through a gap in the defence and bursting through a bunch of defenders, and he added his fourth conversion soon after to hand the team a convincing 28-7 lead going into the break.
The Vodacom Bulls’ woes at the breakdowns continued in the opening minutes of the second half as they worked their way close to the chalk twice within six minutes but lost the ball at the breakdown once again.
The Warriors added their fifth try compliments of fullback Josh McKay in the 48th minute after cutting in on attack and receiving a well-timed pass to run through, and Horne added the extra two to take their score to 35 points.
An off-the-ball scuffle between Horne and Vodacom Bulls No 8 Elrigh Louw saw them both being sent to the sin-bin in the 55th minute, reducing the sides to 14 men.
The Vodacom Bulls refused to let the frustration get to them and it was veteran hooker Bismarck du Plessis who crashed over in the 59th minute after the team won a penalty and opted for the quick tap, and Smith added the conversion to take their score to 14.
Both teams gave everything to add to their score in the last quarter, and it was the Vodacom Bulls who had the final say as replacement lock Janko Swanepoel dived over in the last minute, and veteran flyhalf Morne Steyn added the conversion, but this was too little too late as they were forced to settle for a 35-21 defeat.
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