Edinburgh v Glasgow The 1872 Cup Saturday 2nd January 2021

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Edinburgh v Glasgow
The 1872 Cup Second leg (First leg postponed)

Saturday 2nd January 2021
BT Murrayfield Stadium
Edinburgh

KO 15.00

Live on Premier Sport


Well it is going to be a one legged cup competition this holiday season for the Scots, with the Scotstoun leg having been postponed already. It will also feel strange as this is traditionally one of the few club games at Murrayfield that attracts a crowd to do it justice.

Consequently both sides will have had a bit of a break, Glasgow, hopefully just in time to find some form and Edinburgh, hopeful that they won't lose theirs!

These games rarely go to any kind of form in any case and the lack of a crowd may well make it even more of a lottery. Still bragging rights, old scores and the ability to impress Toonie will still be there. With not much going on in the league for either team and no chance of making any progress under the fprmat this year, maybe the shckles might come off a bit and we could get a decent game, something these fixtures rarely are.

I am going for a Glasgow side something along these lines, everyone has had a rest, so no reason not to go full in, they can rest players for the dead rubbers coming up in the euro qualifiers:


1. Keeble
2. Brown
3. Fagerson Z
4. Cummings
5. McDonald
6. Harley
7. Gordon
8. Fagerson M
9. Price
10. Horne P
11. Jones L
12. Johnson
13. Jones H
14. Seymour
15. Bryce

Subs:
Seuili
Turner
Pieretto
Gray R
Nakarawa
Dobie
Thompson
Grigg

Naks we may see coming on in the back row. Huw Jones may move to either wing or FB at some stage as well.

I guess we will see?

Will leave the Edinburgh team up to the Luvies on here!

Just watched the first half:

- Glasgow have been practising scrums. Huge turnaround from the last game. They are getting under Berghan and making a huge effort on the second surge after the initial shove.

- I didn't think Turner deserved a yellow. I think a penalty is fair enough, he dipped his shoulder and stepped forward, but I think it was instinctive rather than deliberate. Very harsh of those to suggest Gilchrist milked it though.

- good half from Dave Cherry in the loose, and the Glasgow locks have both been impressive (again). Great to see Ritchie Gray back playing like this (as a Scotland fan).

- Groom having a mare!

Second half:

- WP Nel makes a big difference in the scrum.

- MOTM to Ross Thompson was wrong. He had a promising game, but I thought Zander Fagerson was immense, as were the two 2nd rows.

- Eroni Sau can tackle. He's no Duhan in attack, but between him and Blain I think we'll be fine.

- Huw Jones, as if we'd didn't already know, is dynamite ball in hand. Gregor Townsend, get your head screwed on.

- Edinburgh were poor in the first half and went in ahead. We were better in the 2nd and lost. Go figure.

All in all two very closely matched teams. Next time we need to start our first choice front 5 (four of whom didn't start this game). We can't have the Weegies winning scrum penalties ever again!!

Agree with FES on all points.

- Seiuli went from struggling against Nel to having Berghan in all sorts of bother. Sutherland could not get the upper hand on Z Fagerson. I was surprised Nel was not on at the half. Cherry is smaller than McInally but I would tend to say Berghan's scrummaging is not where it once was and he is comfortably third choice for Scotland. Scotland really need another TH (or two) to step up before RWC 2023

- No prop subs for Glasgow so Schoeman and Nel were able to get the edge against two tired props. Outside of Leinster, Edinburgh have the best sets of props in the league

- R Thompson made his kicks and did what was asked of him. Price tried to do too much but am wondering if it was partly trying to protect his young charge. It was telling that they did not want to put B Thomson on with his yips if it came down to a penalty. Would tend to say Price's pass speed is fine but his wind up is slow and it creates time for the defence. SHC should be given a chance to start against England

- Great to see Naka come on though he did not do much. Still getting his fitness. Probably did as much as Mata who looks a shadow of the player he once was

- McLean was fairly anonymous bar one good bit of play in a kick chase and then the breakdown that led to an attacking position that Glasgow got a try from. Made his tackles though which should be enough to see him get more game time. Ollie Smith came on for 3 minutes and missed a last ditch cover tackle on Sau to concede the final try. He then made up for it by taking the kick off that ended the game.

- H Jones was the sole player in the backline who can make something from nothing. Edinburgh have DVDM, Glasgow have him. He failed to catch a ball on a restart that put us in bother in the first half, but was otherwise the best back on the park over the two legs. If Hogg is not ready to go, he is the starting full back. If Hogg is, H Jones has to have the 23 jersey at least

All in all, Glasgow can be happy with that performance. R Thompson is the starter for the rest of the season if he stays fit. Would like to see P Horne at 12 when he is fit to help with the playmaking to take some pressure off the SH when Price is away. Hopefully this is the start of seeing Wilson seeing what he has from the younger players.

As for Scotland, R Gray and Bennett have also played their way into contention the past two games.

Well that was a better game and a much better result.

Ross Thompson looks like he may have a future, can kick well, get the ball moving and probably more impressively, put Mata straight on the deck every time he ran down his channel. Some text book tackling. Certainly not the best player on the pitch, but you can't deny him the MoM on such an assured debut.

George Turner could possibly be starting for Scotland if he could just cut out the brain fart stupid penalties. He is the most physical and athletic of all our hookers and maybe the best thrower. With Brown out for the 6N and McInally still stuttering a bit, someone needs to tell him this is his chance.

Old Gray, Bennett and Shuggy all put in eye catching performances that Toonie will surely have noticed.

Matt Fagerson won't fulfil his talent until he learns to catch a bit better. How many passes did he drop today?

Nakarawa looks a long way short of full match fitness. Will we ever see him retch his previous heights?

Oh and thanks to the phantom train driver. Groom will have nightmares about that one!

Agree with most of Fes' and Gee's comments above.
A couple of things struck me;

Thompson looked good and in the first half it seemed that whenever he got the ball there was someone within 2-3 metres in the 12 channel offering him an easy option, almost as if they wanted to help him find his way into the game. Similarly, after all the "Why has NoPee (thanks Mcsweens) lost his confidence?" I think it was probably decided if Thompson had a decent match and Glasgow won then he'd be MOM. Again almost as if grown ups were making the decisions!

Uncle Squiggsy was almost totally anonymous. Last time he and Bennett spent 80 minutes running into each other: this time Bennet just kept running away from him. Unfortunately, while a Luvvie running away from his opposite number is par for the course, Bennett added a whole new dimension to it by having the ball in hand and running towards the opposition try line.

Finally, I just wish the third game would be played in front of a packed stadium. I want to hear the Warriors' fans greeting Nic Groom with a rousing rendition of, "We're two we're four we're six we're eight. Shunting trucks and hauling freight... We're Thomas and his friends." Then hailing Rufus The Bear's debut try with "Rufus Rufus the bear everyone knows his name."
Am I spending too much time with my grandchildren do you think?