Rugby: Colin Shaw can use cup decider to catch the eye of Andy Robinson

Asked for his thoughts on the final score between Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors, Robinson said he felt things could end in a draw, and although he may just have been acting the diplomat, Robinson could certainly see how tight the game was.

A 23-23 draw it turned out, and the only pity is that the return leg is not being held at Hampden Park rather than Firhill, as surely all of the 13,240 spectators at Murrayfield and many more besides would love to attend the second leg on Sunday.

As it is, a full house of 10,000 is anticipated for the second part of the RaboDirect Pro12 double-header between the nation’s two professional sides and, for Colin Shaw of Glasgow, Firhill will provide a big stage and a real opportunity to impress Robinson and his fellow Scotland coaches.

Shaw came on for the injured Rory Lamont after 34 minutes of the first leg, and the Scotland Sevens regular and A cap showed his speed and wing skills to nab Glasgow’s second try off a Ruaridh Jackson grubber kick. Though Lamont did not suffer concussion as first feared, he has been ruled out of Sunday’s return match, which should give Ayrshire-born Shaw the chance to make his contribution again.

Yesterday he was promoting the pre-match party to be held in George Square during Ne’erday afternoon, the game itself not kicking off until 5.35pm, and looking forward to a “Guid New Year” for the Warriors and himself.

“There’s a lot of competition for places within the club which is good for the performance of the club and the players,” said Shaw. “I want to keep training hard and getting games and at the moment I’m just concentrating on making a Glasgow jersey my own.

“The players know Andy Robinson and all the Scotland coaches will be there on Sunday, but first and foremost it’s about performing for Glasgow and winning the game, and that will mean playing as well as we can.” Shaw and his fellow Warriors will be looking to get out of the blocks early, unlike at Murrayfield.

He added: “We had a really slow start which put us up against it straight away, but we showed our grit and determination and our togetherness to come back and put ourselves into the match. It’s going to be different at home, we are going to have to raise our game early, because we have been starting slowly in most of our recent games – it’s something we are working on. We have to play from the start the way we played in the second half at Murrayfield. If we don’t, we will be up against it.

“But we love playing at Firhill, it’s always a bit special for us, and I’m sure we’ll see a full house on Sunday.”

Shaw’s remarks were echoed by colleague Troy Nathan: “After the game we were quite disappointed that it ended in just a draw, but we have put that away and this week we have worked hard and remained focussed.

“If we can get the ball in the first five minutes and do something with it, I am sure we can try and build a lead.”

Kiwi Nathan has been a popular import following his move from Connacht last summer – “I am really enjoying it here, the players have made feel at home” – and admits he is amazed at the atmosphere surrounding the 1872 Cup matches.

Nathan said: “When I first signed, practically the first thing they said to me was ‘bet you’re looking forward to the derby in December,’ and leading up to it, all the hype showed how much it meant to the boys. To finally experience it was a huge thing for me, especially in front of such a big crowd at Murrayfield. As a newcomer to the team this year, I’ve been blown away by the passion that the Glasgow crowd bring to the games at Firhill, and I can’t wait to see and hear the support come New Year’s Day.”

It’s an exciting start to 2012 for the Warriors. The following Saturday Glasgow head to Wales to play Scarlets in the RaboDirect, and then face a massive Heineken Cup clash with Leinster at Firhill on Sunday, 15 January, in which victory is necessary for the Warriors to maintain their qualification hopes.

“The next two weeks are going to be huge for us,” said Nathan, in a candidate for understatement of the year.