Heineken Cup: Rugby win would set up epic day of sport for Edinburgh

EDINBURGH Rugby coach Michael Bradley has warmed to a familiar theme building in Scotland’s capital as his club bid this evening to emulate the city’s football teams and qualify for a cup final.

Hearts and Hibs will meet at Hampden Park on 19 May to contest the Scottish Cup final for the first time sicne 1896 while Edinburgh Rugby will face up to Ulster in Dublin tonight in their first appearance in the last four of the Heineken Cup, bidding for a place in the Twickenham final, which is also on 19 May.

It is intriguing that two of the three teams are coached by Irishmen, Bradley hailing from Cork and Hibs’ Pat Fenlon from Dublin while Hearts’ chief Paulo Sergio comes from Portugal.

Bradley likes the prospect of Edinburgh flying the flag in the European final on the same day that the capital’s two football sides are jousting in Glasgow.

“It’s great and there’s an Irish connection between us,” he pointed out in reference to the coaches.

“There are close to half a million people in Edinburgh so I think we could split the resources and send 50,000 to Hampden and 50,000 down to London. What do you think?

“It will be an extremely exciting day for Edinburgh football fans. There is a great tradition of soccer in Edinburgh as there is in Glasgow, but if we beat Ulster then it will be a European Cup Final as opposed to a domestic cup final and I think that’s a very special occasion for any city and country.

“But let’s get over Saturday first of all and if it’s a positive result for us then we’ll have a call to rally the troops and see what happens on the 19th.”