Don't play down Glasgow Warriors' latest rivalry - rugby needs more of them

Former Scotland and Glasgow Warriors forward Ryan Wilson believes rugby needs to lean into “modern” rivalries such as the one between his old club and Vodacom Bulls.

The two sides face off once again the URC semi-finals at Murrayfield on Saturday with a place in the Grand Final on the line. The match will be a repeat of the 2024 showpiece event, but on different soil, when Warriors went to Loftus Versfeld to upset the odds and lift the trophy after a 21-16 win.

Ever since then there has been a little extra niggle between the two clubs. Some have looked to play down, while others build it up. Wilson certainly falls into the latter camp and wants to see more of these types of clashes emerging across the sport.

‘It’s what the game needs’ - Ryan Wilson wants to see team lean into modern rivalries

“I try and build it up because I think rivalries are good and this is what the game needs,” said Wilson. “It's almost like a new age rivalry, isn't it? Against the Bulls. There's always been that one against Munster but it wouldn't really be much of a match if you played Munster at the moment!

“But with the Bulls, it's slightly different based on what Glasgow did when they went down to Pretoria and snatched that trophy pretty much out of their hands. Let's face it, there was almost one hand on the trophy that day after the way that Glasgow had gone through the mill against Munster. Then to travel all the way down there, it was all stacked against them, even more so because of that.

“Then let's not forget the round of 16 when Glasgow knocked them out of Europe this season as well. So, I personally think there's a bit of bad blood there.”

Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith and Bulls counterpart Johan Ackermann have shied away from framing the fixture as some sort of grudge match in the past. However, if Wilson was still in the Scotstoun camp, he’d be pushing the players in the opposite direction.

“Both sides are saying the same because I've chatted to Franco on and off camera and he’s saying there's no rivalry there,” explained Wilson. “He says it’s just the media that builds this stuff up.

“But there's got to be something there! If I was a Bulls player, I would be saying, let's get one back over these boys, especially over in Scotland. It would make it all that sweeter to go back and do it to the team that did it to you over there. So, I can't see how there's not a rivalry there.

“I would always try and lean into that side of things because I think it would emotionally get me up. But it's finding what's right for the group and I think you've got to take it differently in how Franco runs this squad.

“Personally, that was the part of the game I loved, building up these rivalries and the fact that when you play Munster, things got overheated. I think it's good for the crowd and good for the stadium to get involved in that as well.

“I think this squad's slightly different in the fact that they know that they probably don't need to fire themselves up too much. They know that they've got the firepower there to go and do it if they're just really clinical.

“I personally think it's good fun to build up the rivalry stuff. Rugby needs more of that. Everyone talks about how you make rugby bigger and how you grow the game and stuff like this.

“There's some bits in football that I don't agree with, but the way that the fans are at the start of the game, I think that sort of stuff is what you want. You want to build up rivalries.

“Even just the small things in terms of what they're trying to do with social media. You see Saracens are pretty good at it, Bristol Bears are good at it. With Harlequins, I saw a joker card after the Saracens game over the weekend getting set on fire and saying, ‘if you can't handle the heat, get out of North London’. That sort of stuff.

‘Huge games’ - Wilson reflects on heated Glasgow Warriors vs Munster battles of the past

“A lot of people don't want to put it out there because it could come back to bite them. I think it's good to build up these rivalries and definitely think it's good for the game.

“When Munster came over the last four or five years, the games where Munster would come to Scotstoun and we would go there, they were huge games. That was all because you build it up.

“As much as the teams come out and say, ‘no, there's no rivalry there’, you look at it and some of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes is like, ‘no, I'm pretty sure there is one’. There are plenty of narratives for this one, for this Glasgow vs Bulls rivalry which will continue. No matter what happens with the result, it will only add to that next year when they come up and face each other again.”

Although rivalries have emerged over the years with Bulls and Munster, the main grudge match for Glasgow remains against Edinburgh. Despite that, Smith recently sent out a rallying cry to the capital club’s supporters to get out and cheer for Warriors in support of Scottish rugby as a whole.

“I would be asking the same, but I don't know if they'd listen to me,” joked Wilson. “You've got to admit it, Glasgow have been flying the flag for Scottish rugby for a number of years now, so why not get down there. Even Edinburgh fans, get down there, try your best to support Glasgow.”

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