Glasgow must 'step up' for final away to Bulls

United Rugby Championship final: Bulls v Glasgow Warriors

Date: Saturday, 22 June Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Kick-off: 17:00 BST

Coverage: Live commentary from BBC Sounds, matter updates connected BBC Sport website

A large ask. That's nan building being utilized complete and complete by pundits arsenic Glasgow Warriors sojourn nan Bulls' backyard for Saturday's United Rugby Championship final.

Travelling adjacent to 9,000 miles pinch conscionable a week's notice, playing astatine altitude successful Pretoria against hugely beingness opponents, who are nan league's highest scorers by a distance.

Throw successful 50,000 raucous location fans and nan truth Glasgow haven't won successful South Africa since 2018 and you spot why nan inquire is considered truthful big.

Warriors caput coach Franco Smith said: "I’m South African, truthful I cognize really their hearts hit and I cognize really nan humor goes done their veins and I cognize really they desperately want to succeed."

Having flooded Munster astatine Thomond Park past time, Smith thinks his squad will request to surpass that effort.

"It’s comparable, but we decidedly spot this arsenic a different situation and we must measurement up if we want to beryllium competitory until nan end," he said.

"There was 20,000 Irish supporters and it could person been intimidating, but I deliberation we’ve taken a batch from that successful our preparation. We cognize that we’ll look a beautiful dispute crowd. It’s conscionable double nan number.

"But it’s astir focusing connected nan task successful manus and not getting engulfed by nan occasion."

Captain Kyle Steyn echoed those sentiments and said: "We've sewage a really clear scheme and a process that we've put successful spot that's worked for america complete nan past 2 weeks.

"I deliberation conscionable focusing connected that scheme and not getting carried away, conscionable making judge that nan attraction stays successful nan infinitesimal and you woody pinch that infinitesimal and past you tin move connected to nan adjacent one."

This is Glasgow's 4th last since 2014, having been champions successful 2015.

Bulls are aiming to go nan 2nd South African franchise to triumph nan title, while it is nan 3rd successive twelvemonth nan last has been successful South Africa.

Bulls caput coach Jake White suggests: "We’ve conscionable sewage to effort and do what we do well, what we’ve done good nan full year.

"Munster and Leinster are 2 unthinkable sides and Glasgow and nan Bulls hit them past weekend.

"One point astir nan URC that has been awesome since it started is that location has been nary guarantee that, conscionable because you person a definite magnitude of players aliases because you rank higher aliases because you’re seen by nan media arsenic nan favourites, it’s not needfully a fixed that you should win."

Glasgow spell pinch nan aforesaid starting XV from past weekend's semi-final occurrence distant to Munster and nan quarter-final location triumph complete Stormers.

There are 2 changes connected nan chair arsenic Nathan McBeth and Duncan Weir return complete from Murphy Walker and Ross Thompson.

The Bulls invited backmost Springbok winger Kurt-Lee Arendse, who missed nan semi-final triumph complete Leinster.

However, prima full-back Willie le Roux misses retired owed to a concussion sustained successful nan aforesaid match.

Bulls: Williams, Peterson, Kriel, Vorster, Arendse, Goosen, Papier, Steenkamp, Grabbelaar, W Louw, Vermaak, Nortje (capt), Van Staden, E Louw, Hanekom.

Replacements: Van der Merwe, Matanzima, Klopper, Ludwig, Carr, Burger, Smith, Smit.

Glasgow Warriors: McKay, Cancelliere, Jones, Tuipulotu, Steyn (capt), Jordan, Horne; Bhatti, Matthews, Z Fagerson, Cummings, Gray, M Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey.

Replacements: Turner, McBeth, Kebble, Williamson, Ferrie, Venter, Dobie, Weir.