Glasgow Warriors fought off a tough Bulls challenge on Saturday to progress to the Investec Champions Cup last-eight. Here\u2019s our winners and losers from the game.<\/p>\n
Winners<\/p>\n
Stafford McDowall<\/p>\n
The powerful centre was surprisingly chosen ahead of the British and Irish Lion, Huw Jones, in arguably the biggest selection call of the round.<\/p>\n
Jones is set to depart the club at the end of the 2025\/26 season, after agreeing terms with French side Toulon, and his exit will leave a huge hole in the Warriors\u2019 midfield, but one that looks ready to be filled by the 28-year-old.<\/p>\n
McDowall has enjoyed many years covering for Jones while he was away on international duty, but it appears that he is now ready to make the 13 shirt his own.<\/p>\n
He looked incredibly confident patrolling the midfield, using his powerful running style to beat four Bulls<\/a> defenders and score a brilliant try in the left-hand corner to take the Warriors beyond seven points. A selection, justified.<\/p>\n Johan Grobbelaar<\/p>\n The Bulls hooker topped the tackle chart with a remarkable 26 hits, missing just one. He also carried well and scored midway through the first half to regain the advantage for his side.<\/p>\n Although his team ended up on the losing side, his performance will not go unnoticed, as he vies for a place in the Springboks<\/a> squad for the inaugural Nations Championship, which kicks off later this year.<\/p>\n Glasgow v Bulls: Five takeaways as Warriors clinch historic first while South Africa\u2019s European journey grinds to a halt<\/a><\/p>\n Josh McKay<\/p>\n It was the electric full-back that truly solidified Glasgow\u2019s win. With just minutes remaining, he collected the ball 30 metres out from the Bulls\u2019 try-line and performed a mazy run, evading all would-be tacklers to advance to within five metres of the white line. Not only did he put his side within try-scoring range, but he was also able to run the clock down and put his side in a controlling position 75 metres away from their own line. Not only that, but Glasgow then drew a penalty advantage off the back of his run, which would effectively win them the game.<\/p>\n Adam Hastings<\/p>\n The former Gloucester<\/a> man has been heavily underutilised in recent months. He\u2019s struggling for game time in both club and country colours, but on Saturday, he truly got his name back out into the European rugby sphere by scoring the penalty that would seal victory for the Warriors.<\/p>\n With the wind whistling, the rain splattering against his face, and the clock in the red, the 29-year-old thumped the ball through the uprights to send Glasgow through to the quarters.<\/p>\n Losers<\/p>\n Glasgow set-piece<\/p>\n There\u2019s no taking away from the way in which Glasgow<\/a> dug deep to secure victory on Saturday, but they could have made it much smoother if only they\u2019d have had a fully working set-piece. Their lineout didn\u2019t work 25% of the time, and while their scrum wasn\u2019t horrendous, it didn\u2019t add much to their foundation.<\/p>\n There were also huge periods of the game when they simply could not keep hold of the ball, having possession turned over a shocking 17 times in total. These are all areas in which they\u2019ll need to tighten up if they\u2019re to go all the way and win the Champions Cup.<\/p>\n Bath v Saracens: Five takeaways as \u2018Thomas the Tank\u2019 sparks recovery while Itoje\u2019s men restore \u2018self-respect\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n South African teams<\/p>\n The Bulls were the final South African team to exit the Champions Cup, after the Stormers fell to Toulon earlier in the day. This continues the disappointing trend of South African failure in Europe\u2019s premier competition, with no side reaching the quarter-finals since the 2023\/24 season.<\/p>\n Toulon<\/p>\n Despite reaching the quarter-finals with a hard-fought victory over the Stormers, Toulon will have to perform a lot better if they are to beat the Warriors. They\u2019ll be facing a Glasgow side high on confidence, who have proved that even when matches don\u2019t always go their way, they can grind out a result.<\/p>\n Toulon currently sit in 11th place in the Top 14, while Glasgow are planted at the top of the United Rugby Championship. The two sides are worlds apart on form and quality, so for the French side to proceed, they\u2019ll need a miracle.<\/p>\n Want more from Planet Rugby? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list<\/a> for world-class coverage you can trust.<\/p>\n