Kyle Steyn admitted Glasgow Warriors’ 22-21 URC semi-final defeat to the Bulls at Murrayfield was largely self-inflicted, after Glasgow blitzed into a 21-3 lead in the first 25 minutes but failed to score again as the South Africans surged back.
The noise at Murrayfield never quite stopped, not really. It just changed. After 25 minutes. Glasgow Warriors sounded like the side that would keep the season’s momentum intact—Kyle Steyn crossing twice to help Franco Smith’s team race into a 21-3 lead. Then the game slipped away, point by point, until the Bulls were the ones roaring back.
On Saturday, Glasgow were beaten 22-21 in the URC semi-finals by the Bulls, and Steyn walked out into the aftermath with a blunt verdict. “We’re devastated,” he said. “There are so many ingredients in it.”
The early picture looked almost decisive. Steyn scored two of Glasgow’s three tries as they surged to an 18-point advantage against the South Africans after just 25 minutes. Francois Klopper’s try was part of the Bulls response later on. but the most striking thing for Glasgow was what didn’t happen: once they carved out that 21-3 lead. they failed to score another point for the remainder of the match.
Steyn’s focus was not on moral victories. It was on blame that sits squarely with his own group. “I want to give massive credit to the Bulls because at 21-3. they could have given up but they stayed in the fight. ” he said. “The hard truth of it is they came out in the second half and they wanted it more than us.”.
He pointed to the physical details that swing momentum in knockout rugby. “They got to breakdowns before us and at big moments, they just did simple things better than we did,” Steyn added. “That’s what is really devastating for us as a player group.”
For Steyn, the pain wasn’t only the scoreline. It was how the defeat landed—after everything that had been built. “For all that’s been put into the season, this is how it ends,” he said. “With the challenges stacked the way they were. with how many boys we had away with the national team and the amount of pressure that puts on a squad. it’s tough.”.
He also made clear how brutal it feels to reach a game like this and then walk off believing you didn’t leave everything there. “For what everyone involved in this group did to get into these kind of games. and then to walk off and feel like we haven’t absolutely left everything out there…” Steyn said. before adding the belief he couldn’t shake. “The gut feeling is that we lost these games, we weren’t beaten.”.
The captain was careful not to frame it as arrogance. even while the criticism of Glasgow’s second-half collapse stayed firm. “I don’t want that to sound arrogant because again. credit to the Bulls for staying in the fight. ” he said. “But for everything that’s gone into it this season, it was disappointing.”.
There was gratitude in the middle of the devastation. “I’ve got nothing but gratitude to everybody that’s worn the Warriors badge on their chest this season. ” Steyn said. “The playing group. support staff and our families. I’ve got nothing but gratitude for some of the things I’ve felt as a man and as a player through the season and being able to share that.”.
What Steyn couldn’t afford to ignore was the gulf between the opening and everything that followed. Glasgow were dominant for the first half-hour. but after that they “totally lost their way.” They couldn’t keep hold of the ball in the second half and couldn’t build pressure in Bulls territory. The loss, in Steyn’s eyes, felt out of character.
It has been four years of building. culminating in big-game experiences that rarely required anyone to ask whether Glasgow could perform when it mattered most. When Glasgow won the URC title two years ago. they won away at Munster in the semi-finals and then beat the Bulls in Pretoria in the final. Their big-game mentality has rarely been questioned—until the way this one ended.
The Bulls, having overturned the 21-3 lead to win 22-21, will now face Leinster in Dublin in a fortnight. Glasgow, despite having home advantage at Murrayfield, will not get the final they had been chasing.
Steyn believes the season set a standard, and now that standard has to be carried further. Glasgow finished top of the standings in the URC and also secured top-seed status in the Champions Cup knockouts by winning all four pool-stage games. “Yeah, exactly,” he said. “But the overriding feeling is, not that it’s not good enough, but we have to take the next step.”.
He framed the next part as something harsher than regrouping. “We absolutely have to take this punch on the chin and learn the way we should,” Steyn said. “But also we’ve been here often enough now and know what it takes.”
When Glasgow return, he wants a squad that shows up in the moments that decide knockout matches. “We’ve got to regroup and when we come back we’ve got to be hungry and challenge ourselves to show up in more of these moments. ” he said. “If you show up in more of these moments, then you can win these big games.”.
Glasgow Warriors Kyle Steyn Bulls URC semi-finals Murrayfield URC Leinster Francois Klopper Franco Smith Champions Cup
21-3 lead and then they just… stopped scoring? That’s wild.
Sounds like Glasgow got ahead and then choked. But also like how are you up 21-3 and still lose by 1? I’d be blaming conditioning or play calling or whatever.
Kyle Steyn crossed twice so I don’t get why everyone acting like it’s “self-inflicted.” If he scored, shouldn’t that mean the team was doing fine? Maybe the Bulls just got lucky in the second half or the ref messed something up.
“Noise at Murrayfield never quite stopped” like that’s the real story here lol. But yeah, 21-3 to 22-21 is insane momentum swing. They didn’t score after 25 minutes?? That’s basically the whole game. And of course Bulls “wanted it more” because that’s always the quote after the collapse. Breakdown stuff or whatever, sure, but seems like Glasgow mentally checked out.