Scott Cummings warns Glasgow not to lean on 2024 URC final win over Bulls

Scott Cummings has urged Glasgow Warriors not to treat their 2024 United Rugby Championship final victory over the Bulls as a psychological advantage heading into Saturday’s URC semi-final at Murrayfield, insisting the South Africans will arrive in Edinburgh with a point to prove.

“That was two years ago, we’ve played them probably about four times since then, so you don’t want to just keep harping on about one game two years ago,” the Scotland lock said. “They’ll probably use that as fuel for them, but we’re obviously here to get a win and we know what we’ve got to do for that.”

Glasgow defeated the Bulls in Pretoria in what many regard as the greatest result in the club’s history, but Cummings was measured in assessing its relevance now. While acknowledging the magnitude of that occasion — “one of the biggest moments in the club’s history” — he pointed to the competitive matches played between the sides since, describing them as “really tough”.

Cummings himself is returning to form at the right moment. The lock missed almost three months of rugby with a calf injury sustained during the Six Nations, before coming back for Glasgow’s quarter-final win over Connacht last Friday. He admitted the lay-off tested his patience.

“It was about 12 weeks since I last played and it was a pretty frustrating time so it was great to be back involved with the guys,” he said. “I was targeting a bit earlier to be honest — three or four weeks before — so it was frustrating not to be back as early as I wanted to. But the final run-in is the business end of the season and what you want to be back for.”

His return adds experience and physicality to a Glasgow pack that will need both against a Bulls side renowned for their set-piece power and direct carrying game. The semi-final at Murrayfield on 6 June kicks off at 15:30.