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Edinburgh beat Glasgow by double scores to secure semi-final qualification

By PA
(Photo by Ross Parker/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Nick Groom scored two tries on Scottish rugby’s return to action as Edinburgh beat Glasgow 30-15 to advance their Guinness PRO14 title chances. The victory at BT Murrayfield strengthened Edinburgh’s position at the top of Conference B after sealing qualification for the semi-finals, putting themselves in the driving seat for a home tie in the last four.

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Scrum-half Groom scored in between Glasgow tries from Pete Horne and Adam Hastings in an exciting spell before the interval following a naturally slow start to the two teams’ first game in six months.

Warriors held a two-point lead until Groom went over on the hour mark following brilliant wing play from Duhan van der Merwe. Richard Cockerill’s side managed the game well and another scrum-half, Charlie Shiel, put the game out of sight with an individual try.

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Former Scotland international and recent cross-channel charity swimmer Alex Grove guests on The Lockdown, the RugbyPass pandemic interview series

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Former Scotland international and recent cross-channel charity swimmer Alex Grove guests on The Lockdown, the RugbyPass pandemic interview series

As well as sealing the 1872 Cup, Edinburgh moved six points clear of Munster ahead of their kick-off against Leinster with a home semi-final very much in their hands ahead of their final game of the regular season, against Glasgow on Friday.

The result extinguished the remote chance Warriors had of making the truncated end-of-season knockout stages. The game was preceded by a minute’s silence for the victims of Covid-19 and to give thanks to key workers, before the two teams came together in a show of solidarity against discrimination.

The opening stages were unsurprisingly scrappy with most of the 14 penalties conceded in the first half coming before the opening try in the 19th minute. Jaco van der Walt hit two over the posts for Edinburgh in the first six minutes before Hastings reduced the deficit to three points.

Edinburgh were aggrieved ahead of the breakthrough that Warriors were not punished for a forward pass. Fraser Brown kicked forward and Edinburgh were penalised for offside before Hastings fed Horne to go over following a quickly-taken penalty.

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A melee followed after Edinburgh skipper Stuart McInally hauled Scotland teammate Hastings to the ground after getting caught up in the celebrations with the Warriors substitutes behind the try line.

Glasgow were awarded a penalty to restart after Hastings converted and Warriors suddenly looked full of energy. But Edinburgh got back on top and Groom went over after a dummy in the 32nd minute following a spell of pressure near the line.

The Warriors responded with their own spell of pressure and possession as Hastings went over four minutes before half-time before hitting the post with his conversion attempt to leave his side’s lead at 15-13.

Edinburgh struggled to get any attacking rhythm immediately after half-time and Hastings missed another chance to extend Glasgow’s lead when he was wide with a 40-metre penalty in front of the posts.

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Edinburgh were toiling but Warriors wing Ratu Tagive gifted them possession inside his own half when he needlessly caught a kick forward and ran into touch. He was instantly replaced but Edinburgh kept possession and finally got the ball to Duhan van der Merwe in space on the left.

The South African produced some great handling and an offload to set up Groom for his second try. Van der Walt added a penalty and Shiel scored following a mazy run to seal a significant win for Edinburgh.

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Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

36 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

36 Go to comments
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