Springbok scrumhalf Morné van den Berg led the Lions’ spirited fightback against Glasgow Warriors, scoring a try and delivering an impressive performance despite their heartbreaking 29-20 defeat in Scotland.

Image: BackpagePix

It was a case of so near but yet so far for the Lions in their final United Rugby Championship (URC) tour match against Glasgow Warriors on Friday evening.

They went down fighting, almost securing a first-ever victory in Scotland, but a late try and penalty goal saw the home side sneak a 29-20 victory at Scotstoun Stadium. It means the visitors head back to South Africa after a tough tour with no points from three matches across the URC and Champions Cup.

A solitary bonus point for coming within seven points of Glasgow was almost cruelly snatched away by the late penalty after a Lions infringement at a lineout late in the clash.

However, that penalty essentially summed up how the night went for the men from Johannesburg, as their discipline, lapses in defence and inability to convert their opportunities came back to haunt them.

Their first-half display, in particular, was not up to standard, and allowing the Warriors to race into a 19-3 lead at half-time was their biggest flaw. Their hosts found it far too easy to breach their defence, scoring three unanswered tries in a first half in which the Lions should have had more points on the board.

But countless errors in attack, losing the ball in contact and at lineouts, as well as a scrum that could not gain dominance, saw the visitors turn around in front of Glasgow's tryline time and again. The errors at times bordered on criminal, while a silly yellow card for lock Etienne Oosthuizen for foul play summed up their first-half struggles. It also did not help their cause that they lost flyhalf Chris Smith early in the half.

A spirited effort in the second half saw the Lions claw their way back into the game systematically.

A Siba Mahashe stunner in Glasgow 😮‍💨💨 The Lions are fighting back 👏👏 📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: https://t.co/0P0NNhnwKw https://t.co/01Sin7Syby

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) October 30, 2026

Lions fight back after poor first half

As the substitutes started taking the field, the momentum swung in their favour, and it looked as if head coach Ivan van Rooyen's half-time talk had lit a fire in their bellies. The Lions' scrum started gaining momentum, with Springbok Boan Venter, hooker Morné Brandon and tighthead Conraad van Vuuren all providing muscle off the bench.

The rolling maul also became a potent weapon, with the forwards laying the platform for three second-half tries by scrumhalf Morné van den Berg, loose forward Siba Mahashe and Brandon. Van den Berg kept his team firing with some excellent play and kicking, showing that he is ready for Springbok duties during the November Nations Championship Tests.

Brandon's rolling maul try in the 70th minute briefly allowed the Lions to take a 20-19 lead, and thanks to their dominance, it looked as if they were on course for a famous fighting victory in Glasgow.

Rugby unites us. We remember Hyron Andrews. 🕊️ Don’t miss a minute - LIVE on Supersport 🔥 @Vodacom #URC | #GLAvLIO https://t.co/ZZ6ow3SjCC

— Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial_RSA) October 30, 2026

They defended their lead brilliantly in the final 10 minutes, until the 76th minute, when Glasgow scored the winner through Ollie Smith. Once again, the Lions found themselves chasing the scoreboard. This led to errors and some desperate play as they tried to get their hands on the ball, and a couple of penalties later, scrumhalf George Horne kicked the three points that took the solitary losing bonus point away from the visitors.

Once again, the Lions showed some fight in a tough match, but they ended up heading back to Johannesburg with no points. This break should give the team time to recuperate and recover with family and friends after a tough month on the road, which followed the death of teammate Hyron Andrews in France.

It will also give Van Rooyen and his coaches the opportunity to plot their fightback when the URC resumes on 4 December with the return Jukskei derby against the Bulls at Ellis Park.

Points scorers

Glasgow Warriors 29 (19): Tries: Fergus Watson, Dan Lancaster, Jack Singleton, Ollie Smith. Conversions: George Horne (3). Penalty: Horne. Lions 20 (3): Tries: Morné van den Berg, Siba Mahashe, Morné Brandon. Conversion: Boeta Chamberlain. Penalty: Chris Smith.