A late try by winger Ollie Smith and a cruel last-minute penalty snuffed out any hope that the 10bet Lions may come home with any points from their visit to Glasgow as they lost 29-20 to the Warriors after a brave fightback was thwarted on Friday night.
The Lions looked down and out at halftime, trailing 19-3, but rallied back to score three unanswered tries to take the lead, and were in sight of a massive upset, but couldn’t get to the finish line as Glasgow rallied back to stop them near fulltime.
The loss means the Lions' losing record outside South Africa grows to 19 games now - 17 losses and two draws - and they have not won away from home since 2024.
While it was understandable on the back of the loss of their teammate Hyron Andrews, whose sudden death rocked the camp a fortnight ago before their Champions Cup game against La Rochelle, the first half seemed very much the performance of a side that has been on a long emotional tour and wanted simply to get home.
Glasgow rested several players but were still a lot more slick and clinical than the visitors, and deserved their halftime lead.
SECOND-HALF COMEBACK
But the Lions have to be credited for their second-half comeback, and the cruel end to the game was a lot less than they deserved.
Having already secured the game with the Smith try, Glasgow held the ball as the clock counted down and kicked out, believing the game was over.
But referee Andrea Piardi told them he had been playing advantage and they had to make a decision, which is where they decided to kick at posts to deny the Lions a losing bonus point.
As George Horne put the ball between the uprights, it was a reminder of how cruel the game can be, and the Lions will rightly feel they should have taken home some points from the fixture.
But they will also know they let their chances slip in a first half where they should have been a lot better. Had their enterprise and commitment matched the second half, they may have had a better chance of upsetting the Scottish side.
It was apparent they were to have a tough night when Glasgow burst through in the fourth minute and only a Quan Horn tackle stopped them from scoring.
Quan Horn standing strong in defence with a massive tackle! 💪🔥 Watch it LIVE on SuperSport 👀 @Vodacom #URC | #GLAvLIO https://t.co/ctyl2PeFaT
— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) October 30, 2026
Glasgow eventually got onto the board in the 10th minute, thanks to a perfect kick-pass from Dan Lancaster that found Fergus Watson, and the winger did great work to beat two players on the way to the tryline.
HOLES AT THE FRINGES
On the half hour Lancaster found a gaping hole around the fringers, did a one-two with Horne and received the ball back to go over under the posts to score the second try of the game.
Horne was instrumental again as he found another hole around the fringes and then sprinted downfield, allowing Jack Singleton to take the final pass and score.
At that stage, on the halftime mark, the Lions were looking down a barrel at 19-3 down.
But whatever was said at halftime produced the spark they needed. Suddenly they used their forwards more, upped the physicality and started to find holes in the Glasgow defence.
First it was Bok scrumhalf Morne van den Berg, who followed a strong lineout maul and then spotted a gap to dart through and close the scoreline by seven.
Morne van den Berg steps up for the Lions 🦁💥 He gets their first try of the match 👏 📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw https://t.co/1j9yzgvXmn
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 30, 2026
Then a perfect intercept and almost immediate basketball-esque offload by winger Kelly Mpeku to Siba Mahashe set the loose forward on a path to the corner to add to the Lions tally.
A Siba Mahashe stunner in Glasgow 😮💨💨 The Lions are fighting back 👏👏 📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw https://t.co/01Sin7Syby
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 30, 2026
They were close, but finally took the lead with 10 minutes to go as another strong lineout maul put pressure on Glasgow’s defence, and hooker Morne Brandon broke away to go over with a host of bodies trying to stop him.
That lead was short-lived though as Glasgow scored with four minutes to go with Smith in the opposite corner, and the Horne penalty was the killer blow that would have disappointed most.
But the Lions will head home now for a month’s rest and time to grieve their fallen teammate, and will regroup at home in December for the next round.
SCORERS
Glasgow Warriors - tries: Fergus Watson, Dan Lancaster, Jack Singelton, Ollie Smith.
Conversions: George Horne (3). Penalty: Horne.
10bet Lions - tries: Morne van den Berg, Siba Mahashe, Morne Brandon.
Conversion: Boeta Chamberlain. Penalties: Chris Smith