logo
Glasgow Warriors thump sloppy Stormers to book URC semifinal place

Glasgow Warriors thump sloppy Stormers to book URC semifinal place

TimesLIVE30-05-2025
Defending champions Glasgow Warriors produced a strong performance to beat the Stormers 36-18 their United Rugby Championship quarterfinal clash at Scotstoun Stadium on Friday night.
The Warriors scored five tries from Rory Darge, Kyle Rowe (twice), Henco Venter and George Horne to book a place in the semifinal while Seabelo Senatla crossed the white line for the visitors twice.
Franco Smith's side showed class in front of their supporters as they put the dismal Stormers who never got going in the match with poor defence and handling errors.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Currie Cup 2025: Round two fixtures
Currie Cup 2025: Round two fixtures

The Citizen

timean hour ago

  • The Citizen

Currie Cup 2025: Round two fixtures

There are again four matches to look forward to this weekend. The 2025 edition of the Currie Cup got under way last weekend with the Bulls, Lions, Pumas and Boland all recording important first-up wins. With the competition being played over just one round — that is seven matches each, home or away — there is little room for slipping up. The Pumas, winners of the competition in 2022, started with a bang, with a 49-28 win against Griquas in Mbombela, while the Bulls registered an excellent away win in Cape Town, when they downed Western Province 48-23. The Lions also impressed with a big 46-5 win against the travelling Sharks, while newcomers this season, Boland, edged the Cheetahs in a nail-biting close affair, 37-35. Weekend round two fixtures There are likely to be a few more close encounters this weekend. On Friday at 7pm, the Cheetahs host the Pumas in Bloemfontein, and they'll be desperate to pick up a first win after their slip up in Wellington last Sunday. On Saturday at 3pm the Lions host Western Province in what should be an exciting game if the men from the Cape can produce a better performance than they did at home last weekend, while the Bulls at home in Pretoria (Saturday 5.10pm) should be the favourites against the Sharks, who struggled in Joburg last weekend. In the final game of the second round, Griquas welcome Boland to Kimberley on Sunday at 3pm, also in need of a 'bounceback' after stumbling in Mbombela. While the teams are all backing their youngsters over the coming weeks, with the 'seniors' resting after the United Rugby Championship, the good news is the coaches will from this week also include some of the World Rugby U20 Championship-winning Junior Boks players in their teams.

Ackermann knows exactly what awaits him at Loftus Versfeld
Ackermann knows exactly what awaits him at Loftus Versfeld

The Citizen

timea day ago

  • The Citizen

Ackermann knows exactly what awaits him at Loftus Versfeld

This is personal – that's the clear message from Johan Ackermann, the new head coach of the Bulls. It's as personal as his memories of playing Carlton League rugby with Bulls legends in the Police Rugby Club – or the Bobbies as they've always been known in Pretoria – on bitterly cold winter nights. Of running up and down the Loftus Versfeld stadium stairs for training while playing for this team. Or running out the tunnel at Loftus wearing a Springbok jersey for the first time. But mostly, it's the memories of what rugby means to the people of the capital city, and what the Bulls mean to their fans – from the big-name city schools to smaller rural schools and from homes in Pretoria to farms in Polokwane. 'It's massive. It's personal. It's hard to put into words how the rugby culture in Pretoria and around the Bulls is just so different to anywhere else. It's a privilege to be back in this rich culture of rugby. The Bulls give people something that they can go back to work on a Monday and be proud of,' said Ackermann during an interview this past weekend. Ackermann's deep understanding of the culture of this team is one of the biggest attributes that he brings to the role of head coach. It will blend well with his own highly-regarded ability to develop culture within any team where he has worked. 'I have a simple philosophy of treating people the way I like to be treated. That's my foundation. For me as a coach, it's about finding out how each player likes to be communicated to. Maybe I was fortunate that in my playing career I experienced a lot. I experienced being injured, not being selected and the highs of being selected. So I try to feel the joy and the sorrow or the pain of that player, because I've experienced it. And when we're on the field we work hard, but off the field we have to have fun,' he explained. When it comes to the players, there is no doubt in Ackermann's mind that this Bulls team already has all the talent it needs to convert three United Rugby Championship final appearances into a trophy. 'This team has talent and I believe we can play any style of rugby we want. We can play the traditional Bulls style and be physical and have good set pieces, but we also have the quality to attack and play all the spaces that the opposition gives us. My philosophy is to play an exciting and attacking brand of rugby and be positive and score tries. And we have to acknowledge that what the Bulls have been doing must work. They've beaten good sides and reached playoffs. I do feel there were moments where I would probably want to change a few things tactically, and once I get the use of the players and understand our strengths as a team, you can then bring your own flavour in. This has been a quality performing team for the last few years already, so that is a challenge for me to make sure we keep performing with the quality of this squad,' he remarked. As for finding the final piece to the trophy puzzle, Ackermann said he'll first look where he always does when starting with a team. 'If something is not quite clicking, then I normally look at the team's values. If as a team you've put out certain values at the beginning of the season and one of those is not going well, then it will reflect on the field. It's not about chasing the outcome or the result or the position on the log. It's about looking and seeing if there is something small we're not doing as a team. Finals are such small margins, and I've experienced losing finals,' he commented. There will be the challenge of managing this squad across various competitions, as is the norm for the modern-day coach. There will be the challenge of the always high expectations on this team. But it's exactly these pressures that Ackermann believes is the privilege of the Bulls and the standards this team has always set. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram

Date, time of Springboks' Rugby Championship opener
Date, time of Springboks' Rugby Championship opener

The South African

timea day ago

  • The South African

Date, time of Springboks' Rugby Championship opener

After a brief break after the July internationals, the Springboks have regathered for a two-week conditioning camp in Johannesburg as they prepare for their first Rugby Championship Test against Australia. The Springboks will first face the Wallabies in Johannesburg on Saturday 16 August, with kick off at 17:10, and again a week later in Cape Town on 23 August (17:10). Rassie Erasmus said he expected a completely different challenge in the Rugby Championship to that against the Barbarians, Italy, and Georgia. 'Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina are all ranked in the top seven in the world, and if one considers that we won the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019 last year, it is clear that this will be a completely different kettle of fish,' Erasmus commented. 'All three teams have beaten us in the last few years and they play a different style of rugby to the other opposition we have faced thus far, but we are pleased with the foundation we laid in the last few weeks and we know exactly what areas of our game we need to work on going into the Rugby Championship.' Erasmus will announce his squad for the two-match tour to New Zealand in September before making the journey Down Under, where they will face their arch-rivals at Eden Park in Auckland on 6 September, and the Sky Stadium in Wellington on 13 September respectively. The team will wrap up their campaign with Test matches against Argentina in Durban on Saturday 27 September, and in London on 4 October. Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Vodacom Bulls). Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls), Manie Libbok (Hanazono Kintetsu Liners), Canan Moodie (Vodacom Bulls), Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls), Cobus Reinach (Stormers), Edwill van der Merwe (Sharks), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Sharks), Damian Willemse (Stormers). Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store