This rollercoaster of a rugby season took another twist for Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh yesterday when they found out that their 1872 Cup second-leg clash – which was postponed last Friday due to a frozen pitch – will now go ahead this coming Saturday evening at Scotstoun with a 5.15pm kick-off.
The two sides started the week planning for Champions Cup action, with Warriors scheduled to play Lyon away on Saturday night while Edinburgh were down to host Sale Sharks a few hours earlier at Murrayfield, but that plan fell by the wayside on Monday afternoon when all European rugby was put on ice due to French concerns about cross-border travel.
That immediately opened up the possibility of getting this overdue 1872 Cup match played, which was a preferred option for both teams, but there were still some fairly significant logistical issues to overcome, not least in ensuring that it was a workable option for broadcasters Premier Sports.
In the event, everything fell into place fairly quickly, and both camps expressed their delight that the game will now be played outside the Six Nations window, meaning that close to full-strength teams will be available.
“To have the game this weekend is an opportunity for all the guys to be involved which is really important, and then we’ll see what the coming weeks bring before the Six Nations starts again,” said Warriors head coach Danny Wilson.
He added that he is hopeful that another PRO14 match can be re-arranged for the following week, which has also been freed-up by the European postponements.
“That conversation is going on in the background,” he said. “I think the PRO14 are looking at what comes next. I want to play every week so we can get rolling.”
Edinburgh won the first leg of this season’s three-match inter-city series on 2nd January, and will lift the 1872 Cup for the fourth consecutive year if they come out on top on Saturday. However, if Warriors are triumphant back on home territory then the third leg – on a yet to be confirmed date – will become a winner-takes-all shoot-out.
Of more immediate significance is the league points which are up for grabs. Both sides are still in the race to qualify for the Champions Cup next year, which will require them to finish at least fourth in their respective conferences, but they can’t afford too many more slip-ups.
Warriors currently prop up Conference A but are only three points behind fourth placed Dragons, while Edinburgh are eight points adrift of Cardiff Blues in Conference B with three games in hand.
“There is always a chance that when you prepare for a game over two weeks instead of one that you get overcooked, and therefore the message gets a bit lost,” mused Edinburgh assistant coach Calum MacRae, as he looked ahead to the Warriors game.
“So, we’ve tried to go through our normal processes in the preview but grade it in over the course of the week rather than selling the big message again straight away, because obviously we don’t want any important details to be overlooked “In terms of the motivation, we obviously got hyped up for the game last week and then it didn’t go ahead, so it is just about making sure that we build up to the game again and not go too early which could lead to us running out of juice by the end of the week. “So, we’ve tried to be pretty measured on that front, but I have no doubt that the motivation of the group going into this game – particularly with it being an away from home fixture – will be exactly where it needs to be “Having lost the game the other week, Glasgow will be highly motivated, too,” he added. “And that's something we have spoken about: that we have to make sure we set the tone on that front because we know if they get go-forward ball off their carries they are a dangerous team in attack.
The first leg was a dour, defence-dominated affair, but MacRae anticipates that there will be a lot more attacking movement this time round.
“The artificial surface at Scotstoun makes the game a lot quicker and from my perspective as defence coach it is more of a challenge in terms of steppers and stuff going on in the outside channels, so that’s something we’ll have to combat,” he explained. “They’re used to that because it is their home surface, and I see them being far more dangerous because they’ll be hurt from the loss the other week, and they’ll also be gunning for the league points in the same way as we are.”
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