Glasgow Warriors captain Kyle Steyn admits the defeat to the Bulls in the URC semi-finals at Murrayfield on Saturday was largely self-inflicted.
Glasgow were brilliant in the opening period, with Steyn scoring two of their three tries as they raced into a 21-3 lead against the South Africans after just 25 minutes.
Having carved out an 18-point lead, Franco Smith’s side, who were chasing a second title in three seasons, were fully expected to go on and finish the job.
Yet, inexplicably, they failed to score another point over the remainder of the match as the Bulls came roaring back to win 22-21.
Glasgow would have enjoyed home advantage at Murrayfield had they reached the final, but it is the Bulls who will now face Leinster in Dublin in a fortnight.
‘We’re devastated,’ admitted Steyn. ‘There are so many ingredients in it.
Warrriors captain Kyle Steyn cuts a dejected figure after their semi-final defeat by the Bulls
Steyn scores the first of his two tries that helped Glasgow build an 18-point lead at Murrayfield
Francois Klopper scores the third try in a Bulls comeback that earned them a 22-21 victory
‘I want to give massive credit to the Bulls because at 21-3, they could have given up but they stayed in the fight.
‘The hard truth of it is they came out in the second half and they wanted it more than us. They got to breakdowns before us and at big moments, they just did simple things better than we did.
‘That’s what is really devastating for us as a player group. For all that’s been put into the season, this is how it ends.
‘With the challenges stacked the way they were, with how many boys we had away with the national team and the amount of pressure that puts on a squad, it’s tough.
‘For what everyone involved in this group did to get into these kind of games, and then to walk off and feel like we haven’t absolutely left everything out there…
‘The gut feeling is that we lost these games, we weren’t beaten.
‘I don’t want that to sound arrogant because again, credit to the Bulls for staying in the fight. But for everything that’s gone into it this season, it was disappointing.
‘I’ve got nothing but gratitude to everybody that’s worn the Warriors badge on their chest this season.
‘The playing group, support staff and our families, I’ve got nothing but gratitude for some of the things I’ve felt as a man and as a player through the season and being able to share that.’
Having been so dominant over the first half-hour or so, Glasgow totally lost their way thereafter.
They couldn’t keep hold of the ball in the second half and couldn’t build any pressure in Bulls territory.
It was a capitulation which felt completely at odds with everything Smith has built over these past four years.
When Glasgow won the URC title two years ago, they won away at Munster in the semi-finals and then beat the Bulls in Pretoria in the final.
Their big-game mentality has rarely been questioned, but the nature of this defeat will take some time to get over.
Steyn believes they have set the bar for themselves this season after finishing top of the standings in the URC and also securing top-seed status in the Champions Cup knockouts by winning all four pool-stage games.
‘Yeah, exactly,’ said the Scotland man. ‘But the overriding feeling is, not that it’s not good enough, but we have to take the next step.
‘We absolutely have to take this punch on the chin and learn the way we should. But also we’ve been here often enough now and know what it takes.
‘We’ve got to regroup and when we come back we’ve got to be hungry and challenge ourselves to show up in more of these moments.
‘If you show up in more of these moments, then you can win these big games.’
