Glasgow ruin the long-awaited return of Edinburgh fans to Murrayfield
Glasgow co-captain Fraser Brown scored a try on his 100th appearance as Warriors ruined the Edinburgh fans’ long-awaited return to BT Murrayfield. About 700 home supporters formed the first crowd inside a rugby ground since the lockdown in a test event authorised by the government, but they saw their side go down to a 15-3 defeat.
Edinburgh had already sealed top spot in Guinness PRO14 Conference B but their much-changed side failed to excite their supporters or build any momentum ahead of next weekend’s semi-final against Ulster.
The teams conceded 23 penalties between them in a very scrappy encounter but Glasgow managed tries in each half from Brown and Ratu Tagive to hand Danny Wilson a first win as head coach in their final game of the season.
After clinching a home semi-final with their 30-15 derby win last weekend, which also allowed them to retain the 1872 Cup, Edinburgh made ten changes. Fly-half Nathan Chamberlain, 20, and 22-year-olds Charlie Shiel and Jamie Hodgson were among those coming in as Richard Cockerill rotated his squad ahead of next weekend.
Wilson largely went for continuity after losing his first match in charge of Glasgow with even the late withdrawal of Richie Gray keeping his changes at three. Gray pulled out as a precaution while a family member awaited the result of a Covid-19 test.
The perfect start to his 100th @GlasgowWarriors cap ?@fraserjmbrown opens the scoring at BT Murrayfield – how much does he mean to the club? ?
?? Watch Live Now on @PremierSportsTV
?? Watch Live Now on @eirSport
?? Watch Live Now on @SuperSportTV#GuinnessPRO14 #EDIvGLA pic.twitter.com/yKo0zIe5IY— PRO14 RUGBY (@PRO14Official) August 28, 2020
Chamberlain missed an early penalty and Glasgow went ahead in the eighth minute when Brown came from the back of a lineout maul to force his way over. Adam Hastings converted. Warriors centre Huw Jones was again handed the full-back berth but he was sin-binned in the 14th minute for a high tackle on Hamish Watson inside the 22. Edinburgh appealed for a penalty try but had to settle for three points as Chamberlain kicked over.
Glasgow survived the numerical disadvantage without major scares and the game continued in an untidy manner before the visitors pushed for a second try in the closing stages of the half.
Brown was heavily involved again as Warriors tried to force their way over but they were stopped at close range several times with referee Ben Blain twice checking try appeals on the big screen. Warriors passed up the chance to kick a penalty and had to settle for a four-point interval lead.
The second half started in even more untidy fashion with the lack of rhythm further exacerbated by a string of errors and the whistle of the referee, who was increasingly frustrating Cockerill with his decision-making. Edinburgh enjoyed their most enterprising period just before Glasgow’s second try, a quickly-taken penalty from Ali Price relieving the pressure and getting Warriors up the park.
Glasgow outnumbered Edinburgh on the left flank and Stafford McDowall was involved before Jones fed Tagive to go over on the hour mark. A Hastings penalty put the game further out of Edinburgh’s reach and their subsequent pressure proved too little, too late.
"Compare Cockerill’s win percentage to his 4 permanent predecessors and he handsomely outstrips them all… by any objective measure, Edinburgh are a team transformed"
– Stirring ode to Scotland's current fave Englishman by @JLyall93??? @EdinburghRugby https://t.co/K0NtUqCXGw
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 27, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
Ouch. Even Nohamba is a better flyhalf than Ford.
2 Go to commentsI hope Leinster’s proud of themselves fielding a poor team. They should decide if they’re all in or not.
2 Go to commentsJordie is looking at 16 games maximum if Leinster reach both the URC and champions cup finals. Thats not guaranteed. Some of those home URC fixtures will be cakewalks as well for Leinster and there is not much doing during the 6 nations in Feb and March so he can probably get a decent rest then. He will have to really put in it for maybe 7 or 8 games max. It should be a good move for both.
13 Go to commentsThe game was a quarter final, not a semi final. Barrett will be here for 6 months, he is no one's replacement at 13. That mantle will most likely ultimately go to Jamie Osborne, though Garry Ringrose has at least 4 more years in him. The long term problem position (in the next 3 years) for Leinster is tighthead prop, though there are a couple of prospects at schools level.
25 Go to commentsSo much for all that hype surrounding the ‘revival’ of Aussie rugby. The Blues were without the likes of regular starters Perofeta, Sullivan, Christie etc… This was a capitulation of the highest order by Australia’s finest. Joe Schmidt definitely has his work cut out for him.
2 Go to commentsYes they can ignore Sotutu. Like Akira Ioane plays OK at Super level but gets lost in tests. Too many chances too many failures.
2 Go to commentsA wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
13 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
13 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
6 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
25 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
6 Go to comments