The Vodacom Bulls may be heading to Glasgow for revenge, but the home side has warned them to expect a “slaughterhouse” when they arrive at the Scotstoun on Friday for their Vodacom United Rugby Championship fixture.
The war of words is likely to escalate a bit more before the fixture, where the South Africans have made it particularly clear they are looking to avenge their defeat in last year’s Grand Final at Loftus Versfeld where Franco Smith’s side upset their hopes of a first title in the tournament.
Jake White made it clear after the team’s win over Munster that they are heading to face the Warriors with only one thing in their minds - victory. White was more than happy to paint a target on the backs of the home side and said the Bulls have aimed for this fixture since starting their pre-season.
But if anyone expected that would go down well and Glasgow’s coaches would just take a backseat and wait for revenge, they were mistaken. Instead, Glasgow’s attack coach Nigel Carolan has upped the ante a bit by raising the temperature for the match as it edges closer.
Not only are Glasgow ready for the Bulls “revenge” talk, says Carolan, but they should expect they are coming to a slaughterhouse at the Scotstoun.
“I don't think we need any motivation this week with the Bulls. Obviously they’re coming with a vendetta. They're quite open about that. They said after the final, when the fixtures came out, it was about the 25th of April 2025.
“Jake White alluded to it again after the Munster game. They have a target on our back and their whole season is really about getting revenge, getting one over us on Friday. That's all fine and well.
“We know what the challenge is going to be. They're going to be physical. They're going to be snorting when they come out because the chip is on their shoulder, trying to get revenge over us.”
Carolan said the Warriors will be ready for whatever the Bulls throw at them.
“But the ball is in our court. Any team that comes to Scotstoun, they should feel that they're coming to the slaughterhouse. And when we put our best game on that pitch, it's very difficult to deal with it.”
While Glasgow have some injury worries - they have to make a final decision on the Scottish international midfield pairing of Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones - they at least know Scotland lock Scott Cummings is set to return.
“Sione and Huw are training but we just don't want to force them out yet,” added Carolan. “There’s a lot of rugby still to be played between now and the end of the season.”
Still, with the war of words escalating over the past few days and the fact the game is a de-facto shootout for second spot on the log, whoever wins could find themselves with home ground advantage should the two meet again in the semifinals.
That won’t spook Glasgow, as they have won at Loftus in a high pressure environment. But a victory will give the Bulls momentum and confidence, and that could make a massive difference.
Either way the game is set to be a cracker this Friday, and both sides know they need to be ready.