'It’s like Test cricket and 20/20 cricket, there’s a completely different story'

Glasgow head coach Franco Smith made no apologies for the fact his side’s 24-12 derby victory over Edinburgh at Hampden was not illuminated by swashbuckling rugby.

The first leg of the 1872 Cup descended into “an arm-wrestle”, according to the South African, with all six tries scored from close range by forwards.

Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Gregor Hiddleston and sub Seb Stephen notched for Glasgow, with Dylan Richardson and Grant Gilchrist replying for the visitors.

“It was a spectacle anyway,” Smith said of a match watched by a crowd of 21,093 at Scotland’s national football stadium. “You can’t guarantee tries.

“People come to football games and see maybe two goals, that’s the way it goes. We wanted to win, we wanted to grind it out. It’s like Test cricket and 20/20 cricket, there’s a completely different story.

“It’s a derby, there’s more to playing this game than there is to us playing any other team. There’s a little bit of trials in front of Scotland coaches, it’s an arm-wrestle that’s different, and it influences decision-making: do I pass the ball, do I keep it, do I kick it?

“I think that’s one area where Scottish players can improve: not being fazed by the grandeur of the games and the occasions. Just focus on playing the game, and don’t get fazed by anything else.”

Territory

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There has not been an away win in the 1872 Cup since Glasgow triumphed 32-25 at Murrayfield three years ago, but Smith is hoping his side can secure the silverware with a victory in Edinburgh this weekend.

“That would definitely be nice, but I don’t think Edinburgh will open the gate,” he said. “It will be important for us to balance this week the work, lessons learned and freshness.”

Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt was disappointed his side conceded a late try after getting back to 19-12, leaving them facing a tough task to reclaim the 1872 Cup for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

“12 points in a derby game is a big deficit to catch up,” said Everitt, whose side have won the last two Murrayfield derbies. “But we’re positive that if we can put up the same fight and the same physicality next week and be more accurate with ball in hand, that we’ve got an opportunity to do that.

“It’s a pity about the last try that we conceded, I think seven points would have been a hell of a lot easier for us going into next week’s game. But we haven’t lost faith. We’ve shown in the past that we can win, but we haven’t won with big enough margins.”