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On what proved to be a famous night for Scottish rugby, the glory belonged to Glasgow Warriors. A champion performance from the champion team in this season’s United Rugby Championship.
As the final whistle sounded in this pulsating Grand Final against the Bulls in Pretoria, it was Scottish voices who could be heard roaring in celebration.
Just as it was Scottish hands which were clutched around the trophy by the time Warriors skipper Kyle Steyn hoisted it high into the night sky.
Despite the odds being stacked firmly against them, Franco Smith’s men produced a show of defiance to claim a seismic victory away in South Africa.
Mark this down as a result for the ages. The greatest win in Glasgow’s history, there is no question it tops their victory over Munster when they won the trophy back in 2015.
At great altitude on the Highveld, this was the Warriors soaring to new heights and raising the bar for all of Scottish rugby.
Kyle Steyn gets his hands on the United Rugby Championship trophy after Warriors beat the Bulls
The Warriors captain is brought down just before the try line
They did it the hard way, beating reigning champions Munster away from home last week in the semi-finals before travelling to South Africa and conquering the Bulls.
Trailing 13-7 at half-time, Smith’s side were quite magnificent in the second half. They were dominant, albeit they had to survive a scare when the Bulls threatened to pinch it right at the end.
But they were worthy winners. Smith has elevated this team to new heights since he took charge two years ago and is now a Scotland coach in waiting, should he ever fancy it.
It was that Pro12 victory back in 2015 that propelled Gregor Townsend into the frame for the Scotland role. Plainly, it should be no different with Smith. Glasgow were led superbly by captain Steyn, but there were also stellar contributions throughout their team.
Huw Jones was outstanding in both attack and defence, whilst the back-row trio of Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey and Rory Darge were simply colossal.
As darkness fell on Loftus Versfeld prior to kick-off, the sell-out crowd of 50,388 were treated to a spectacular display of pyrotechnics during the pre-match entertainment.
Huw Jones runs clear to get Warriors their third try of the night and put them ahead
Steyn was centre of the celebrations after the full-time whistle had blown
The fireworks lit up the night skies above Pretoria as the teams prepared to battle it out in the Grand Final, with Bakkies Botha and Ryan Wilson carrying out the URC trophy.
A Bulls and Springbok legend, Botha built a career on being the enforcer for club and country and the World Cup-winning lock would have thrived in the physicality of this contest.
The Bulls had built a 6-0 lead after 15 minutes, with two penalties from fly-half Johan Goosen punishing Glasgow ill-discipline.
The Warriors looked ragged in those early stages. A wayward pass from Jones almost went spectacularly wrong as the Bulls hoofed the loose ball upfield and gave chase.
They ultimately fell just short, and it was only a brilliant intervention from Darge to hold up the ball shortly after that prevented a try for Bulls tighthead Wilco Louw.
But Glasgow’s resistance wouldn’t last. On 25 minutes, some sustained pressure from the Bulls led to flanker Marco van Staden powering over to score a try which Goosen converted.
The home side were now 13-0 ahead. Glasgow’s backs were pressed firmly to the wall, unable to escape from what had been an onslaught of South African pressure.
You had to wonder what effect the travel had on the visitors, who had made a mad dash to Pretoria immediately after last weekend’s semi-final win over Munster in Limerick.
George Horne kicked all three conversions to help Warriors over the line
Smith had been keen to arrive as early as possible in order to give his players the best possible chance to recover and acclimatise.
Glasgow eventually clicked into gear just after the half-hour mark when Sebastian Cancelliere led them upfield with a powerful run which tore at the heart of the Bulls.
The ball was then fed to fellow winger Steyn on the other side, but the Warriors skipper lost possession of the ball in contact when he was only a few metres short of the try line.
Glasgow desperately needed some sort of foothold in the game — and it duly arrived in what was the final play of the first half.
Camped deep inside the Bulls’ territory, they built some good pressure and Scott Cummings eventually powered over from close range.
George Horne converted to reduce the arrears to 13-7 as the teams went down the tunnel at half-time.
Another penalty from Goosen saw the Bulls stretch their lead shortly after the break, before Glasgow roared back in stunning fashion.
It was a vintage score from the Warriors, demonstrating why their maul has been such a lethal weapon over these past couple of seasons since Smith took charge.
As it rumbled towards the line, the backs piled in to offer a little more oomph. It worked a treat, with hooker George Turner dotting down on what was his final game for Glasgow before he heads to Japan.
Horne converted and Glasgow were now just two points behind at 16-14 as the game headed into the final 20 minutes. It had been a gripping contest, with so little to separate both teams, and it was poised on a knife edge heading into the closing stages.
As was the case last week against Munster, Glasgow had grown stronger as the game had gone on.
Their reward came when Josh McKay and Steyn combined to feed the ball back inside to Jones, who raced over to score his team’s third try of the night.
On his return to South Africa, there was a broad smile on Jones’ face as he crossed the line, with Horne’s conversion putting Glasgow 21-16 ahead.
It then looked like Dempsey might well have wrapped up the victory when he picked up a loose ball and darted through a gap.
The Scotland back-rower showed a brilliant turn of pace to go all the way, running from inside his own half, to dive over and score.
But the try was ruled out by Italian referee Andrea Piardi due to an infringement by Turner, who was deemed to have tackled Springbok star Kurt-Lee Arendse before he had possession of the ball.
It was an incredibly tight call, marginal, and the type where a referee can often side with the home crowd.
Certainly, it was harsh on Glasgow and Turner. Jones had been outstanding. The Scotland centre, one of the players of the season, won a vital turnover inside his own half in the final couple of minutes to repel some prolonged Bulls pressure.
That set the scene for a frantic finale which saw Glasgow fly-half Tom Jordan sent to the sin bin with just two minutes left to play.
The Bulls won a succession of penalties and kicked for the corner, knowing that a try would tie the scores while a converted try would see them pinch it 23-21.
But Glasgow held firm. It was nerve-shredding drama, but they lived to tell the tale. It had been a victory for the ages and a performance of champions.
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