Glasgow Warriors were triumphant in an epic United Rugby Championship (URC) Grand Final at Loftus Versfeld.
Here are some of the best stats as the Warriors became two-time league champions.
URC Finals
All three play-off finals in the URC era have been won by a margin of five points:
- Stormers 18-13 Bulls
- Stormers 14-19 Munster
- Bulls 16-21 Glasgow
Glasgow’s victory is the only time the fourth seeded side has won the championship. Munster are the only lower ranked team to lift the trophy after they placed fifth during the 2022/23 regular season.
The Warriors and Scarlets (2016/17) are the only teams to win the title after beating both the first and second-seeded sides in the play-offs.
The last team to top the table during a fully completed season, and go on to win the play-offs, was Glasgow in 2014/15. No top-seeded club has yet made a final during the URC era.
Warriors in knockouts
The 10 points conceded against both Stormers and Munster, in their URC quarter and semi-final respectively, are the equal fewest that Glasgow have given up in any of their 19 playoff matches.
The Warriors have won six of their last nine single-leg knockout fixtures after winning eight out of 26 prior to that.
Kyle Steyn has been the skipper for six knockout victories – no other Glasgow captain has managed more than two such wins.
Glasgow away to Bulls (and other South African sides)
The Warriors held the Bulls to the fewest points they have scored at home in the last five years in a URC or Super Rugby fixture (since they lost 13-45 to Crusaders in May 2019).
Number of times in their last 53 home games the Bulls have scored three points or fewer in the second half – two. Glasgow, June 2024, and Munster, March 2022.
This is the first time that the away side has won in any of the 15 fixtures Glasgow have played against the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers either in South Africa or Scotland.
The 16 points the Bulls managed are the fewest that Glasgow have conceded in any of the 11 matches they have played in South Africa. The next lowest tally was 24 against the Cheetahs in September 2018 (also the Warriors’ last win in SA until Saturday evening’s masterclass).
The players
A quick-fire stat for each of the players in the Warriors’ victorious matchday squad.
1. Jamie Bhatti
Glasgow and Scotland have won 22, drawn one and lost just 5 of the last 28 matches he has started.
2. Johnny Matthews
He is the only one of the Warriors’ eight starting forwards not to concede a single penalty during the playoffs.
3. Zander Fagerson
Third consecutive game where he has played the full 80 minutes. This is actually one short of his previous best of four complete games in a row but to do it in the play-offs, while finishing up at altitude, is a whole different level!
4. Scott Cummings
Since 29th July 2023 he has played 33 games for Glasgow and Scotland - the most of anyone in the Warriors’ squad.
5. Richie Gray
The 2014/15 championship winning starting XV also included a Gray brother (Jonny) and a Horne brother (Pete).
6. Matt Fagerson
The only player in club history with Man of the Match awards in two separate play-off victories (also the semi-final v Ulster in 2018/19).
7. Rory Darge
His rate of 19 tackles per 80 minutes during the knockout stages was the equal best among the starting XV (alongside Matt Fagerson).
8. Jack Dempsey
His tally of 174 metres made in the post season is more than the other seven members of the starting pack combined, and more than all backs bar Kyle Steyn (289m) and Josh McKay (229m).
9. George Horne
Made more passes in the playoffs than all other Glasgow players added together – 193 v 191. His rate of 64 passes per 80 minutes was nearly 30% lower than his previous three starts during the regular season.
10. Tom Jordan
Played in all 26 matches during the current campaign, the first man to feature in every fixtures of a Warriors’ season since Bernardo Stortoni started all 25 games in 2009/10.
11. Kyle Steyn
The only man to play all 720 minutes in Glasgow’s nine knockout fixtures across the last two seasons.
12. Sione Tuipulotu
No Warriors’ back made more carries (33) or attempted more tackles (19) during the post season.
13. Huw Jones
Glasgow haven’t lost a game Huw Jones has scored in since February 2021.
14. Sebastian Cancelliere
The only Warriors’ starting back that conceded no turnovers throughout the play-offs, managing a successful outcome on each of the 32 occasions he was in possession.
15. Josh McKay
Started more games this season than anyone else in the squad – 22 out of 26 games, all at fullback.
16. George Turner
The 10th player to score a try in a major final for Glasgow after: Rob Harley, DTH van der Merwe, Henry Pyrgos, Finn Russell, Matt Fagerson, Grant Stewart, Kyle Steyn and Sebastian Cancelliere.
17. Nathan McBeth
Played more minutes during 2023/24 than he did in his two previous seasons with Glasgow combined.
18. Oli Kebble
Has more knockout wins in the last fortnight (three) than he had managed in the rest of his career with Glasgow and the Stormers (two).
19. Gregor Brown
Made eight tackles in his time on the pitch, a rate of 30 tackles per 80 minutes, which was only bettered by Henco Venter (12 tackles, equivalent to 46 per 80 mins).
20. Euan Ferrie
The youngest player in the Glasgow matchday squad, one month and one day short of his 23rd birthday.
21. Henco Venter
Has now beaten the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld with three different teams – Cheetahs, Sharks, Warriors.
22. Jamie Dobie
This was his 60th appearance in a URC match – he only turned 23 a fortnight before the final.
23.Duncan Weir
One of just two players to play matches in both the 2014/15 and 2023/24 championship-winning seasons (also Zander Fagerson)
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