Gobbelaar wary of Glasgow threat, but believes set-piece dominance can get Bulls over the line
· The South African
Bulls hooker Johan Grobbelaar heads into Saturday’s URC semi-final against Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield full of confidence after last week’s demolition of Munster.
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The 28-year-old, who will make his 150th Bulls appearance, says the side is building nicely for what promises to be a landmark occasion and is determined to go one better than the 2023-24 final defeat to Glasgow.
GLASGOW PRESENT A BALANCED THREAT
Grobbelaar was measured but respectful in his assessment of the Scottish outfit this week.
“Glasgow are probably one of the most well-balanced teams in the competition,” he said. “There aren’t many weaknesses you can target, so you have to be on top of your game.”
Glasgow won all nine home matches at Scotstoun during the regular season before beating Connacht 33-21 in last week’s quarter-final. The semi-final has been moved to Murrayfield in Edinburgh due to renovations at Scotstoun ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
In spite of the venue switch, Grobbelaar said the Bulls’ focus would fall on the basics when the pressure came.
“We need a dominant set-piece and be clinical,” he said. “In semi-final rugby, when you get into the 22, you have to put points on the board.”
GROBBELAAR: BULLS HITTING FORM AT THE RIGHT MOMENT
The Bulls endured a difficult spell earlier in the season, losing seven matches in a row across competitions. They recovered to finish fourth on the URC log before hammering Munster 45-14 last week at Loftus Versfeld. Grobbelaar said the timing of that turnaround mattered most.
“We are peaking at the right time, when it really matters,” he said. “Over the last few matches, even though we have been far from perfect, we are building nicely. Munster was a good performance and hopefully we can continue that on Saturday.”
GRASS SURFACE AND OLD SCORES
The shift from Scotstoun’s artificial 4G surface to Murrayfield’s grass could play into Bulls hands.
“We’re used to grass at Loftus,” Grobbelaar said. “It might change things slightly, especially in the scrums. Most South African players prefer it and we’re looking forward to that challenge.”
The two sides have developed a fierce rivalry in recent seasons. Glasgow broke Bulls hearts by winning the 2023-24 URC final at Loftus, and have since beaten the Bulls twice more this season. Grobbelaar acknowledged that final defeat still lingered.
“Losing that final is probably still there in the back of your mind,” he admitted. “But we’ve put that behind us. This is a wonderful opportunity at an iconic stadium.”
For Grobbelaar personally, running out at Murrayfield for the first time has long featured on his rugby bucket list.
“There have been some ups and downs, but playing in those URC finals is special,” he said. “Hopefully we can get another crack at it and this time finish the job.”