Glasgow Warriors can scratch three-year 1872 Cup itch against 'all-out' Edinburgh Rugby

Having triumphed 16-10 in the first match at Scotstoun, they followed it up with Sione Tuipulotu-inspired 32-25 victory a week later at Murrayfield.

Since then, each side have won their home games, with Glasgow prevailing on aggregate to lift the silverware three seasons in a row.

Doing the double is not easy and for all that the Warriors have been Scotland’s top dogs since Smith took over, they have not enjoyed their last two trips to the national stadium, suffering narrow defeats at the hands of their hosts. “Not winning the last two games really hurt,” said Smith.

The Murrayfield malaise is not a new phenomenon. Glasgow have won only once in their last ten visits to the old ground but they return there on Saturday bolstered by a run of form that has convinced the bookmakers to see them as odds-on favourites.

Last week’s 24-12 win over Edinburgh at Hampden in the first leg of the 1872 Cup followed stirring victories in Europe over first Sale and then, even more impressively, Toulouse. Glasgow are coming to the boil nicely while Edinburgh are spluttering.

The capital side also took a huge French scalp, beating Toulon in the Champions Cup, but they made wholesale changes the following week and crashed in Castres, losing 33-0. The squad rotation was designed to keep Sean Everitt’s players fresh for the inter-city double-header and the pressure is on now to deliver on Saturday.

‘The guys are certainly up for it’

“There's an edge every time we play Glasgow, but yes, we are excited about the opportunity we have this week to get a win at Murrayfield,” said Everitt. “I think the guys take a lot of confidence out of the fact that last year we were comprehensively beaten at Hampden and then managed to turn it around at Murrayfield [winning 10-7]. We've got 13 points to make up, which we know is a challenge, but the guys are certainly up for it and have trained well this week.”

The deficit is not insignificant and Edinburgh will see how the match develops before deciding whether to go for broke. First and foremost, they need league points. Having won only two of their six games in the United Rugby Championship they find themselves adrift in 11th, three places below the play-off spots.

“Winning the 1872 Cup would be nice but for us, it’s just about winning this game,” said Darcy Graham, the Edinburgh winger. “We desperately need the points to stay in contention to move up the table. It will be in our head to win by 12 points but it’s more about winning the game. When there’s five or ten minutes left in the game then we will come together, have a chat and see where we are.

“I’d want to chuck the ball about and go for the win to bring the 1872 Cup back here. I’m all-out attack.”

Graham saw little of the ball in the Hampden first leg and neither did his fellow wing Duhan van der Merwe. Chances are likely to be scarce again at Murrayfield and there might only be one or two opportunities. That was the case in the second leg two years ago when Graham and van der Merwe combined brilliantly for a memorable try in a 19-14 win.

“We’ve spoken about that detail this week, about really taking our opportunities as they don’t come around often,” said Graham. “You need to be clinical and score tries. If we get in that red zone three times then we need to come away with points every time. Hopefully we get more opportunities for the backs and there’s more running rugby than there was at the weekend as there wasn’t a huge amount. We know what we want to do and need to implement it.”

Glasgow won the aerial battle in the first leg, with Kyle Steyn particularly impressive in that area. His performance eclipsed those of his two rivals for the Scotland wing berths and Steyn will look to continue his excellent form in what will be his 100th game for the Warriors.

Glasgow aren’t short of leaders, with Tuipulotu and Rory Darge - the current and previous Scotland captains - in their ranks but it is Steyn who Smith leans on most. He appointed him as skipper shortly after he took over three-and-a-half years ago and it is a decision he has had no cause to regret.

Why Steyn is so important to Glasgow Warriors

“He's a perfect example of a good person making a good player,” said the Warriors coach. “He leads by example on and off the field, the professionalism. For me, he’s grown quite a bit, and I’m really impressed by the way he manages the other strong leaders in the group, Sione and Darge, the Scotland captain and the guy arguably next in line there.

“The way he demands respect from the players without having an in-your-face approach is a sign of a true leader, and I am really proud of him maintaining the urge to become better every day and to progress as a rugby player. At the same time, he has a very calming and a very determined influence on our squad.”

Saturday is also likely to be a landmark today for Scott Cummings who is in line to make his 150th Glasgow appearance, although the second row has been moved to the bench as Smith makes six changes to his pack in an attempt to manage his squad through a hectic spell.

On first viewing, it seems like a gamble by the Glasgow coach but Smith has been canny enough to name five of the six 'dropped' players on the bench and being able to bring on the likes of Zander Fagerson, Cummings and Darge should give the Warriors a huge second-half lift which is likely to be enough to emulate the achievement of 2022.

Edinburgh v Glasgow Warriors match details

Edinburgh Rugby v Glasgow Warriors (URC/1872 Cup, Murrayfield, Saturday, 3pm)

Edinburgh Rugby: Wes Goosen; Darcy Graham, Matt Currie, James Lang, Duhan van der Merwe; Cammy Scott, Ben Vellacott; Pierre Schoeman, Harri Morris, Paul Hill, Glen Young, Grant Gilchrist, Liam McConnell, Dylan Richardson, Magnus Bradbury (capt). Replacements: Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, Boan Venter, Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, Callum Hunter-Hill, Freddy Douglas, Charlie Shiel, Ross Thompson, Jack Brown.

Glasgow Warriors: Ollie Smith; Kyle Steyn (capt), Stafford McDowall, Sione Tuipulotu, Jamie Dobie; Adam Hastings, George Horne; Patrick Schickerling, Johnny Matthews, Sam Talakai, Alex Craig, Alex Samuel, Matt Fagerson, Angus Fraser, Jack Dempsey. Replacements: Gregor Hiddleston, Nathan McBeth, Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings, Gregor Brown, Rory Darge, Ben Afshar, Dan Lancaster.

Referee: Hollie Davidson (SRU).