Edinburgh eager to spoil Glasgow's 1872 Cup party

While much of the focus on today's 1872 Cup season-ender has been on the fact it is '¨Gregor Townsend's final match in charge of Glasgow before taking over as Scotland coach, Edinburgh are facing a similar sense of era shift and are determined to spoil the Scotstoun party.

Sam Hidalgo-Clyne is set to start for Edinburgh in the 1872 Cup second leg against Glasgow Warriors. Picture: SNS

With former England 
hooker and Leicester boss Richard Cockerill already making his presence felt before he takes the reins in the summer, through back-room appointments and team selections, the Edinburgh players know this is the perfect opportunity to set the tone for pre-season and look to improve vastly on what has been a fairly dismal season.

The capital pro team are set for a second successive ninth-place finish and they head into this evening’s match with their two-year hold on the 1872 Cup looking doomed as they trail by 13 points on aggregate but acting head coach Duncan Hodge said: “Glasgow are our biggest rivals and we need no bigger motivation than facing them on their home patch.”

Hodge has made four 
changes to the backline with Blair Kinghorn on the wing and Phil Burleigh returning to inside centre.

Sam Hidalgo-Clyne and 
Duncan Weir are both 
promoted from the bench to start as the half-back duo, with Scotland stars Ross Ford and John Hardie starting in the pack.