Bulls need to be pitch perfect at Murrayfield
· Citizen
The Bulls say they will rely on their set-piece to generate momentum against Glasgow Warriors, but they will need to be clinical in all departments in their United Rugby Championship (URC) semifinal at Murrayfield Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 3.30pm).
The teams meet in Edinburgh after a scheduling conflict forced the play-off to be moved from Scotstoun, Glasgow’s home base, which hosted their four previous encounters in Scotland.
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The Bulls are riding a massive wave of confidence following a seven-game URC winning streak and a 45-14 demolition of Munster in their Loftus quarter-final.
2024 final in mind
In their last eight encounter, the Bulls won three scrum turnovers against the 2023 winners, and hooker Johan Grobbelaar said the grass surface at Murrayfield would only enhance their set-piece.
Along with finding peak form, the Bulls can now field their best available side as they expect winger Cheswill Jooste to recover in time.
Glasgow coach Franco Smith said the hosts had not lost their home advantage by moving to Edinburgh, while the expected return of Huw Jones, Scott Cummings and Jamie Dobie was set to bolster the Scottish side.
Glasgow have beaten the Bulls twice this season: 21-12 in their URC match at Scotstoun in October, and 25-21 in their Champions Cup last-16 match at the same venue in April.
They also won the 2024 URC final between the sides after losing to the Bulls in the regular season.
Grobbelaar said that final was “always there at the back of your mind” for Bulls players.
Bulls to be at their best for Glasgow
However, they have tried to put that defeat behind them in preparation for this match, which marks the Bulls’ fourth consecutive semifinal appearance as they chase their maiden title.
“We’ll learn from that [final],” he said. “Glasgow are one of the best, most well-balanced teams in the competition. It’s always a challenge facing them.
“There are not really any weak points we can attack them on, so we will have to be on top of our game, create momentum, and use our pack to hopefully get a dominant set-piece. Then execute when we get into the 22. That will be vital for us.”
The Bulls hooker said opportunities at the beginning of the match would be just as important as at the death.
“In big games like this, at big stadiums like that, they put you into the right mindset from the start automatically.”
Head-to-head, Glasgow have won four of the seven encounters between the teams. Each side have only won once away.