Glasgow vs Bulls | Battle of the centers

The Bulls secured their place in the URC final after beating Glasgow 21-22, after trailing 21-3 after 32 minutes. The home side started strong , running away with a healthy lead but the visitors got their ducks in a row, converting pressure on defence  into attack. The Bulls won 92% of their lineouts (12/13) and 86% of their scrums (6/7). Glasgow won 100% of their lineouts (14/14) and 86% of their scrums (6/7).

Lets dive into the battles of the midfield.

Sione Tuipolutu and Stafford McDowall vs Harold Vorster vs Canan Moodie

Tuipulotu - Led the way with some strong early carries to get his team over the advantage line (16 meters gained). Timed his run and pass to release Steyn for his second try perfectly, put Stephen threw a hole but one floated pass to Rowe drifted narrowly forward.  Made 7/8 tackles and won a turnover.

McDowall-A largely selfless display, mopping up any slow ball at times and weaving attacks together nicely with slick hands. He only managed to make 8 meters on attack. Made his fair share of tackles (8/9) too but not the impact of recent weeks.

Vorster-Made some handling and disciplinary lapses in the first half, which left his side frequently on the back foot, but that did not deter him as he kept launching into the Warriors’ defence, topping the carry count for his side with 13. He also made 10/11 tackles.

Moodie-Defensively, he often found himself sucked in, leaving a lot of space outside him, which Glasgow were able to exploit, but that vastly improved in the second half after a short stint off the field.He made 5 tackles and missed 6. On attack he looked out of shape, overrunning passes and not asking any questions. He was subbed for Stedman Gans in the 60th minute. Gans made 17 meters and made 20 tackles.

The Bulls will want to finetune their midfield going into the final. Your outside center cannot be missing 6 tackles.