Injury-prone With a hard-fought 22-10 victory at Scotstoun, Glasgow overcame inter-city rivals Edinburgh to take
the lead in the 1872 Cup and climb to the top of the United Rugby Championship standings.
Following a trade of first-half tries between Warriors wing Kyle Rowe and Edinburgh prop WP Nel, the visitors lead
10-8 into the final quarter.
However, Grant Gilchrist’s yellow card in the 65th minute proved to be crucial, as it cleared the way for the home
team to pull away and take a 12-point lead in the first leg thanks to late goals from Johnny Matthews and Ally Miller.
Due to injuries, Glasgow entered the derby lacking numerous key players, including Scotland internationals Matt
Fagerson, Jack Dempsey, Jamie Dobie, Kyle Steyn, and Ollie Smith, who faces the possibility of
In contrast, Scotland scrum-half Ali Price, who made his first visit back to Scotstoun since completing an unexpected
loan move to Edinburgh last month, was one of the strong lineups named by Edinburgh coach Sean Everitt.
A penalty kick by Ross Thompson in the seventh minute put Glasgow on the scoreboard.
A mere ten minutes later, Rowe eased over on the left after a brilliant offload by Josh McKay, giving the hosts even
more ground. Thompson’s attempt at conversion was wildly inaccurate.
Just before the half, Scotland hooker George Turner was forced off and replaced by URC’s leading try scorer,
Matthews, adding to Glasgow’s already dire injury difficulties.
Veteran Nel forced his way over from close range in the 34th minute to give Edinburgh a point again, with Ben Healy
adding the extras.
Two minutes before halftime, Healy missed a penalty kick from the halfway line, but the stand-off scored two points
for the visitors in the 47th minute on his second effort from a considerably closer range.
However, after several fouls by Edinburgh’s lock Gilchrist, the game turned back in Glasgow’s favor in the 65th
minute.
Within two minutes, hooker Matthews scored his ninth try of the year with a signature finish off a maul, giving the
Warriors enough advantage. George Horne became a convert.
After being fed by McKay and Horne once more converting, Miller nearly sealed the win for the home team in the
74th minute with a spectacular run in from the left. This means that the Warriors will go to Murrayfield on Saturday
with a 12-point lead in the 1872 Cup second leg.
In other action, Premiership leaders Sale demonstrated their championship credentials by defeating rivals Saracens
22–20 in a thrilling thriller.
The Sharks have now won 12 straight home league games; they scored three tries in challenging circumstances to
take the lead.
Both sides entered this sold-out Salford Stadium match on the heels of two inconsistent Champions Cup
performances, one of which was a rematch of the Premiership final from the previous season.
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