The Vodacom Bulls were convincingly beaten by Glasgow Warriors in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship tour opener at Scotstoun Stadium on Saturday.
The Warriors bullied the Bulls heavies at the breakdown and thus spread the ball across the park with confidence in a five-tries-to-three 35-21 victory in Glasgow.
The hosts raced into a 14-0 lead after No 8 and Man of the Match Matt Fagerson barged over from close range, before swift interplay ended with a touchdown for right wing Sebastian Cancelliere, but a converted Kurt-Lee Arendse try against the run of play pulled the visitors back to within seven points at the close of the first quarter.
Glasgow lock Scott Cummings dotted down to set up scrumhalf George Horne for his third conversion of the half, and the No 9 was on song once again from the tee after he brilliantly broke away to score the bonus-point try for the Warriors and make it 28-7 at half time.
The hosts picked up where they left off after the break as fullback Josh McKay crossed the whitewash, before an off-the-ball scuffle between Horne and Bulls No Elrigh Louw earned them 10 minutes in the sin bin.
Veteran Bulls hooker Bismarck du Plessis came off the bench to pick up and drive his way across the paint, before a late effort from the visitors paid dividends when substitute lock Janko Swanepoel notched up their third before the final whistle, but Jake White’s troops otherwise had no answer to Glasgow’s tactics.
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A piece of individual brilliance from George Horne ? @Vocadom #URC | #GLAvBUL pic.twitter.com/rM7o2t4X2I
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) October 8, 2022
Kurt-Lee Arendse has GAS in abundance ⛽️ ? @Vocadom #URC | #GLAvBUL pic.twitter.com/Sk8yLjPDq0
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) October 8, 2022
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Photo: @URCOfficial_RSA/Twitter