'Back in the day, people were taking each other’s heads off!' - how the 1872 Cup changed

The 1872 Cup has grown in stature and over 60,000 supporters are expected to attend the two matches over Christmas. But the standard of rugby has also risen, according to Magnus Bradbury, the Edinburgh forward.

The Scotland international back-rower is a veteran of these fixtures and has some happy memories, most notably his try-scoring contribution to the win over Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield in May 2022 which sealed the 1872 Cup, the Scottish-Italian Shield and a place in the following season’s Champions Cup for the capital side.

Magnus Bradbury during an Edinburgh training session at Hive Stadium. | SNS Group

It was Bradbury’s final home game before leaving for a successful two-year stint with Bristol but he rejoined Edinburgh in the summer and is looking forward to resuming old rivalries with the Warriors who forged ahead of their inter-city neighbours in his absence.

“We respect them as the URC champions,” said the No 8. “We know the quality that they have but these games have always been close and there’s that emotional side to it as well. If we can get that emotional spike then it will probably be a closer game than the form would suggest last season.

Magnus Bradbury (left) and Damien Hoyland after Edinburgh's win over Glasgow Warriors in May 2022. | SNS Group

“It is a rivalry as has been publicised for years and years and years. It’s probably changed a bit now because there were scraps back in the day and people taking each other’s heads off. It is more of a rugby game now with an emotional spike in two big stadiums and that brings extra pressure with more fans.”

The first leg is at Hampden on Sunday, with the return at Murrayfield on December 28.