Not all that long ago, there was a danger that the wheels could have fallen off for Glasgow Warriors in a season that had promised so much.
Mightily impressive in winning all four of their pool-stage matches to secure a place among the top seeds in the Champions Cup knockout rounds, they fluffed their lines when many fancied they could go all the way.
A no-show performance against Toulon in the quarter-finals at Scotstoun back in April saw Franco Smith’s side lose 22-19. All things told, they were dumped out in pretty tame fashion in a game they should have won.
The healing process was not immediate. In their next two matches, Glasgow were on their travels in South Africa and suffered two heavy defeats, losing 54-12 against the Lions and 48-12 against the Stormers.
In the Smith era, stretching back to when he took charge in 2022, three successive defeats have been extremely rare. Especially with a couple of them being by such emphatic margins.
Injuries to key players were starting to take their toll. It would have been easy for Glasgow to start feeling sorry for themselves. Perhaps, in years gone by, they might have lost their nerve.
Kyle Steyn and Franco Smith celebrate a win over Edinburgh at Murrayfield, where they will look to create more magic memories this weekend against the Bulls
But their powers of recovery have been such that they now stand only two matches away from winning a second URC title in three seasons, with a semi-final against the Bulls at Murrayfield to negotiate this afternoon.
Perhaps more than any other player, it is captain Kyle Steyn who has embodied Glasgow’s resolve. He has been the player of the season in Scottish rugby, both at club level and with the national team. Bar none.
Steyn was magnificent in the quarter-final victory over Connacht last week, scoring two tries whilst saving one at the other end with an outstanding last-ditch tackle on Josh Ioane.
It was Smith who made Steyn captain not long after he took charge of Glasgow in 2022. The Scotland man has since been a model of consistency.
Steyn has already won one league title as Glasgow captain. It could yet be two in three years. His status as one of the club’s all-time greats is beyond question.
‘When I came here four years ago, as a South African coach, I was initially reluctant to make a South African-born player captain,’ said Smith of his on-field lieutenant. ‘But the way I was led by coaches and by people who know Kyle, it was evident that he was already well-established and seen as a possible captain and leader.
Steyn has been in phenomenal form all year and claimed two tries against Connacht last week
‘He embraced it as soon as I made him captain. He embraces the responsibility and I think it has actually enhanced his performances even further. He’s a natural born leader.
‘He has been so consistent for us over the season. He always produces very professional performances. He leads through his actions. He has proven that consistently for us.’
The Bulls are a team with whom Glasgow have forged a new rivalry tracing back to their victory over the South Africans in Pretoria to win the title in 2024.
Glasgow also beat the Bulls a couple of months ago in the last 16 of the Champions Cup, coming from behind to grind out a 25-21 win at Scotstoun before that loss to Toulon the following week.
Another tight contest is expected at Murrayfield this afternoon, with ticket sales looking like they could well push close to 20,000.
With Scotstoun now unavailable due to preparations for the Commonwealth Games, Glasgow will enjoy home advantage at the national stadium this afternoon as well as the final in a fortnight, should they make it.
Murrayfield will be less than half full but Glasgow are hoping to unite the Scottish rugby public
The preposterous situation that could have seen them forced to play a home final in Belfast, due to Murrayfield being prepared for music concerts this summer, has, thankfully, been avoided.
Smith’s side finished top of the standings. They worked all season to secure that competitive advantage in the play-offs. It would have been madness had they been robbed of that.
Yet, even still, Murrayfield is not fortress Scotstoun. For all Glasgow can expect a bumper crowd, it is inevitable that there will still be swathes of empty seats with the stadium only a quarter-full roughly.
Asked whether the Bulls might see that as an advantage, Steyn said earlier this week: ‘I’m not really too bothered about how they see it, to be honest.
‘The challenge is going to be there anyway. We’ve come up against them twice this season [two Glasgow home wins, in URC and Champions Cup] and they’ve both been really physical, tight games and we’re expecting nothing less.
‘They’re a team that thrives on this and we’re just excited to see what we can bring to that and how we rise to that challenge at home.
‘The set-piece battle is huge, the kicking game is going to be massive and then just the physicality, they pride themselves on that, we pride ourselves on that. That’s what you get when you get two teams that really want to stamp their mark on that.
‘The intensity of the collision on both sides of the ball just goes up a notch, then you add the fact that it’s a semi-final and that’s the way those games go.
‘We’re not underestimating it in any way, but we’re really focused on how we’re going to bring that level of intensity to our game.’
Smith has been boosted by the return to fitness of a number of his key players in recent weeks
Glasgow have not quite been back to their best of late, but they are trending in the right direction. They look like a team who are getting their mojo back.
They are also getting some of their key players back from injury. Scott Cummings returned against Connacht last week, Jamie Dobie is back on the bench today after being out for four months.
Huw Jones could be back in time for the final should they see off the Bulls. The scars that came with those defeats to Toulon and in South Africa have healed.
Now comes the time to stand and deliver against a Bulls team featuring several Springboks. Steyn will know plenty of them from his younger days.
But, on current form, Glasgow wouldn’t trade him for any of them. Captain fantastic has another trophy in his sights. If Glasgow do go on and win it, his influence will have been mighty.
