Match Preview | Edinburgh

The latest instalment of the oldest rivalry in professional Scottish rugby takes centre stage this Friday night, as Glasgow Warriors welcome Edinburgh to Scotstoun for the deciding match of the 2020/21 1872 Cup.

With the season series tied at one win apiece, both teams know that the victors under the Friday night lights will be taking home the trophy in addition to Scottish bragging rights.

The Warriors will be aiming to clinch a first 1872 Cup triumph over their cross-country counterparts since 2016/17, when a Gregor Townsend-led squad edged a 43-41 aggregate triumph from the then-two match series.

Friday’s fixture will also see the two teams face off against each other for the first time in the new Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup, as both teams continue their pursuit of the newest trophy in northern hemisphere rugby.

Here’s how the visitors shape up ahead of this weekend’s clash:

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— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) May 4, 2021

Edinburgh form guide

Richard Cockerill’s Edinburgh squad made a victorious start to life in the Rainbow Cup, turning in a composed second-half performance to earn a 24-18 win over Zebre at BT Murrayfield in their opening fixture of the competition.

The capital side had trailed at the interval despite Eroni Sau’s early try, but a Player of the Match-worthy display from captain Luke Crosbie and Matt Currie’s first score for the club steered Edinburgh to victory.

New arrivals

A few new faces have made themselves known to Edinburgh supporters since their last visit to Scotstoun in January, as Cockerill – like his Glasgow counterpart Wilson – has handed opportunities to his young talents.

The aforementioned Currie has impressed observers in his outings in the Edinburgh midfield to date, as well as Australian-born Scottish-qualified fly-half Charlie Savala making his club debut in March’s defeat to Cardiff Blues.

Up front, highly-rated number eight Ben Muncaster caught the eye on his first start for Edinburgh in the win over Zebre, whilst 18-year-old Patrick Harrison became the youngest hooker in club history following his debut against the Dragons.

Previous Encounters

The 2020/21 1872 Cup series is finely balanced going into Friday’s decider, with both sides having claimed victory in one of the two fixtures so far this season.

Edinburgh drew first blood at BT Murrayfield in January courtesy of Magnus Bradbury’s decisive score, despite a try from Lewis Bean and a head-turning debut off the bench from Ross Thompson.

Thompson was then at the heart of a resurgent Warriors display a fortnight later, earning Player of the Match and kicking 13 points – including converting tries from Matt Fagerson and George Turner – to hand Glasgow a 23-22 victory at Scotstoun.

Match officials

Adam Jones will take charge of Friday night’s match at Scotstoun, becoming the first non-Scottish referee to officiate an 1872 Cup match this season.

Sam Grove-White and Finlay Brown will be the assistant referees, with Hollie Davidson on hand as the Television Match Official if, as and when required.

Broadcast Information

The match is live on Premier Sports 1 on Friday night, with kick-off at Scotstoun scheduled for 8.15pm.

BBC Radio Scotland will also have live commentary of the clash, whilst you can follow all the build-up and action as it happens in our Live Match Centre at glasgowwarriors.org.