Glasgow 25 Edinburgh 20: Glasgow exert aggression to restore their battered pride

Published on Friday 2 January 2009 22:24

• Edinburgh won 59-31 on aggregate

THE NEW year opened in disappointing fashion for Edinburgh, even though they regained the David Lloyd 1872 Cup, but in every other respect a packed Firhill yesterday toasted a great start to 2009.

In an enthralling inter-city derby watched by a record crowd of 6,665, Glasgow produced a more aggressive, streetwise and clinical performance than that which made them easy pickings in the 39-6 Boxing Day rout by Edinburgh at Murrayfield. From the moment their skipper Alastair Kellock kicked off a battle with Jim Hamilton, his opposite number and rival for a Scotland jersey, with a bout of fisticuffs in the opening minutes, the passionate edge to the hosts' display loomed large over the clash.

Sean Lineen's decision to restore James Eddie, Sam Pinder and Moray Low was also vindicated as all three performed well, regularly leading the assault into Edinburgh territory. Where Glasgow were second to the ball at Murrayfield in the first leg they showed a clear aggressive desire to right that wrong by retaining their own ball more hungrily and slowing Edinburgh's possession more skilfully.

It what was a furious opening to the match, a lineout provided the platform for the game's opening try after 11 minutes, but it was an opportunist effort from Geoff Cross, the Edinburgh prop. Matt Mustchin, the Edinburgh lock, was stopped by Max Evans, but the home centre couldn't hold the ball. Cross grasped it to burst into open space and run 15 metres to the posts. Phil Godman converted for a seven-point advantage from nothing.

Dan Parks pulled it back to four points with his first penalty virtually from the restart, and repeated the feat in the 18th minute when Allan Jacobsen, the Edinburgh loosehead prop, was sin-binned for diving recklessly over a ruck.

Parks struck again when he delivered a drop-goal to put the hosts in front for the first time, with 22 minutes played. By contrast, his opposite number Godman missed his first penalty attempt, in the 26th minute, though it came back off the post and Simon Webster almost collected to dive over, but couldn't hold the ball.

This was a match with real edge, tackles being delivered with venom and the set-piece contested with a meaty aggression. Both Low and Jacobsen were in great form, Fergus Thomson, the restored Glasgow hooker, similarly so, continuing to throw his body on the line in attack and defence despite suffering a rib injury which eventually forced him off, replaced by Dougie Hall, with seven minutes of the first half remaining.

Alan MacDonald, the young Edinburgh openside, denied another Parks' drop-goal with a good charge-down, which underlined the first half trend – Glasgow doing all the work in attack, but Edinburgh's defence containing most of it. The picture worsened for Glasgow a minute before the interval when their Irish lock Tim Barker was stretchered from the field with a suspected serious knee injury, replaced by Dan Turner.

The hosts were wheeled off another scrum in the Edinburgh 22, but a bit of sublime trickery from scrum-half Sam Pinder had them bursting back onto the front foot and after terrific, aggressive surges from a clutch of home players, Graeme Morrison slipped inside Mustchin and steamrollered Hugo Southwell on a straight run from 18 metres out, and though referee Rob Debney asked for advice from the television match official this week it went Glasgow's way.

Parks converted and, seven minutes into injury-time, added another drop-goal. At 19-7 ahead, Glasgow finally had reward for their first-half territory and possession. Edinburgh had also lost Mustchin at the end of the half, Ben Gissing replacing the injured lock, but they still stole the first lineout of the second half, as Glasgow started where they'd finished by pressing inside their 22.

What did stutter, however, was Parks' kicking success, the fly-half missing two kickable penalties early in the second half, made worse by the fact Godman converted two, including a fine 45-metre effort, to close the gap to six points.

Hamilton handed Parks a chance to restore Glasgow's nine-point advantage with 18 minutes to go, charging Pinder at a ruck before the scrum-half had the ball in his hands, and the stand-off made sure this time.

The expected Edinburgh fightback stepped up a gear in the final 15 minutes. Both sides swapped their stand-offs, Parks leaving to a great ovation, and his replacement Ruaridh Jackson made an instant impression with a 42-metre penalty.

MacDonald suffered a head knock and had to leave the field, but 14-man Edinburgh finally claimed reward for a continual battering of the home line, Ben Cairns slicing through the Glasgow back line and substitute David Blair converting, but the game was already five minutes into injury-time and the final whistle ensured a share of the derby honours and restoration of some west coast pride.

Scorers: Glasgow: Try: Morrison; Pens: Parks 3, Jackson. Drop-goals: Parks 2. Con: Parks. Edinburgh: Tries: G Cross, Cairns. Pens: Godman 2. Cons: Godman, D Blair.

Glasgow: B Stortoni; H O'Hare, M Evans, G Morrison, T Evans; D Parks, S Pinder; J Va'a, F Thomson, M Low, T Barker, A Kellock (capt), J Eddie, K Brown, J Barclay. Subs: D Hall for Thomson, D Turner for Barker, R Vernon for Eddie 58, R Jackson for Parks 67, K Tkachuk for Va'a 75, Gregor for Pinder 77.

Edinburgh: H Southwell; M Robertson, B Cairns, N De Luca, S Webster; P Godman, M Blair (capt); A Jacobsen, R Ford, G Cross, M Mustchin, J Hamilton, S Newlands, A Hogg, A MacDonald. Subs: B Gissing for Mustchin 38mins, J Houston for Robertson 54, A Kelly for Ford 57, G Kerr for G Cross 62, S Cross for Hogg, D Blair for Godman, both 68, G Laidlaw for Blair 70.

Referee: R Debney (RFU).

Attendance: 6,665.

Lineen urges side to keep moving forward

SEAN Lineen was thankful his Glasgow team proved they were not as bad as it seemed at Murrayfield a week ago, but the coach admitted last night that the latest stirring response to some harsh words would count for little if the team slid back off the pace next week.

Glasgow host Welsh side the Newport Gwent Dragons at Firhill next Friday night and the coach, who celebrated his 47th birthday on Christmas Day with what he termed an "embarrassing" Boxing Day defeat, is intent on seeing his side take confidence from a swift reply and reaffirm their challenge in the Magners League.

"If we'd have played with that intensity last week, then who knows what might have happened," he said. "It has been a tough week, a really tough week for everyone. It shows you the expectation levels, what we're about, and we didn't do ourselves justice last week.

"Al Kellock, our captain, spoke this week about the Glasgow jersey and what it means, and said we virtually stole from the jersey last week. The players have responded, but, again, the statement I have to make is that the players have to do it again next week.

"I'm not saying it's easy to raise yourselves just now and again, but this is all about consistency. I am proud of the way they stuck in, because Edinburgh came with a lot of momentum and confidence.

"The boys had a lot of possession and there were some times where we played a little too much rugby, but I was really impressed by them. I thought Al Kellock led the team brilliantly; Moray Low was good, James Eddie at six was outstanding and Sam Pinder at nine was brilliant.

"It wasn't perfect by the players, but we had to get a win. The pride was dented, but the players stayed tight and there was no blame culture. The truth hurts and what was written and said they had to take on their shoulders and do something about it, and they did.

"You can't get a bigger lesson than being thumped by your closest rivals on Boxing Day and we never want to go back there. It's now up to everyone involved with the Warriors to move forward."

For Edinburgh, the defeat followed the news that Ross Rennie, their international openside flanker, had been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing a second operation on his right knee, damaged and first operated on last March. Rennie has never regained full movement without pain and having made his debut in last season's RBS Six Nations, he will now be forced to sit out the 2009 championship.

Andy Robinson, the Edinburgh coach, admitted it was a blow for the club, but immediately after the game it was the players who faced Glasgow that may have wished they were somewhere other than the away dressing room.

"Credit to Glasgow for the way they responded," he said, trying to contain his frustration at such a turnaround. "But I had a go at the players after the game because we knew what was coming from Glasgow and we gave away dull penalties and deserved to lose.

"Those three penalties in the second half, and how we lost control of the game just before the end of the first half was really disappointing, and rightly we lost the game because of it. Our last three Magners League losses have been by a score, and we're not dominating the scoreboard well enough, and that's what you need to do to win away from home."