Five top moments from the 1872 Cup

Back in the 2007/08 season, the introduction of the current 1872 Cup trophy reinvigorated an historic rivalry between Glasgow and Edinburgh that had had more than a few ups and downs during the professional era.

All roads lead to Hampden 💪

🎟️ Be part of it this Saturday! https://t.co/pqZY1VT2zg#WhateverItTakes ⚔️🛡️ pic.twitter.com/2SGbQd9BE1

— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) December 15, 2025

The timing was good for the Warriors, who were in the early years of their decade long journey from bottom of the league to PRO12 Champions.

The mindset was there to use these games to prove a point about where the strength in Scottish rugby lay, both on a team basis and among individual players, and with something tangible to lift when the aggregate score was tallied.

The 1872 Cup series has seen plenty of classic matches, big performances by players, controversies and even a fire alarm evacuation! Here are five top moments that stick in the memory:

2 January 2009: Glasgow 25 – 20 Edinburgh

Return of the Jedi

The 2008/09 1872 Cup got off to the worst possible start for Glasgow. At Murrayfield on Boxing Day, the only leftover stuffing on show was the one handed out by Edinburgh as they dismantled the Warriors’ 39 – 6.

Just seven days later, Glasgow had to find a response on their own turf. The key change in the pack was the insertion of James Eddie into the back row. Jedi had no other setting than smashing into every carry, tackle or ruck as if his life depended on it.

Every bone crunching hit from the big flanker was a rallying point as his side dug deep physically and mentally to overcome the scars of the previous week’s performance.

27 December 2010: Glasgow 30 – 18 Edinburgh

Rampaging Rob Harley

Rob Harley loved 1872 Cup matches. The chance to batter into and get one over on his friends / rivals from along the M8 never passed Rob by as he played in a record 23 of these encounters for the Warriors.

One of his finest moments came not at the bottom of a ruck or on the end of multiple tackles but at a kick-off during his 1872 Cup debut. At Firhill in 2010, after Ruaridh Jackson had got his side on the board with a penalty, Harley received the ensuing kick and set off on a galloping, slaloming run through astonished Edinburgh defenders.

With DTH van der Merwe on his shoulder all it took was a simple offload for the winger to speed in at the corner for a score that had the 7,000 souls in attendance at Firhill on their feet.

26 April 2014: Glasgow 37 – 34 Edinburgh

Fijiweegies to the Fore

While this series of matches have never lacked for physicality, hard graft and desperation to come out on top, the quality of rugby hasn’t always been perfect.

Weather conditions have played their part, with so many of the games taking place during the depths of winter. One rare exception was a fixture rescheduled from New Year’s Day that benefited from a sunny afternoon in Glasgow in April 2014.

This was the peak Fijiweegie era when both Niko Matawalu and Leone Nakarawa lit up Scotstoun time and time again. On this occasion, they linked up from a quick tap to set Tommy Seymour free before Rob Harley (yes, him again!) crashed over for what would prove to be the game clinching try.

27 April 2019: Glasgow 34 – 10 Edinburgh

Horne Has a Go

Scotstoun has witnessed any number of classic tries over the years but for sheer impudence, Glasgow’s final score in the April 2019 encounter with Edinburgh takes some beating.

Confidence was high, with the Warriors in the midst of a nine-match winning streak in the league that would take them all the way to the PRO14 Final at Parkhead. Late on in the game they were 27 – 3 up on Edinburgh with three tries – all absolute bangers – already scored.

George Horne was clearing a ruck just 10 metres from his own line when he decided it was the right moment to have a pop. An extravagant dummy gave him all the room he needed to break the line. His strength birled him out of an attempted tackle. His kick over the top was pinpoint. Stuart Hogg picked up and popped the ball on to Tommy Seymour to put the exclamation point on just the third Warriors’ win in their previous 11 meetings with Edinburgh.

22 December 2024: Glasgow 33 – 14 Edinburgh

Warriors in Dreamland

Glasgow took the 1872 Cup opener to Hampden in 2024/25 and the fans who turned out in their thousands couldn’t have asked for a better or more dominant performance from their team

When Huw Jones crossed to make it two tries in the opening 14 minutes the smiles were broad. By the time Jamie Dobie raced over and his try was converted to leave the scoreboard reading 33 – 0 there was almost a sense of disbelief in the air.

Dobie was the creator and the finisher, showcasing his speed to the ball at rucks across the full width of the Hampden pitch before his one-two with Scott Cummings sliced open the Edinburgh defence. Cummings’ unstoppable line put him in the open and then his scrum half had more than enough gas to slide in untouched for his side’s fifth try. You would need to go all the way back to December 2005 to find a game where Glasgow scored more tries against their oldest rivals.

The Future

With matches at Hampden and Murrayfield to come in December, both sides will be looking to create more of these memorable moments that have been a feature of inter-city clashes between Glasgow and Edinburgh.