Glasgow Warriors set sights beyond 1872 Cup as Scott Cummings reveals ultimate gameplan

Glasgow Warriors are on course to win the 1872 Cup for the third year in a row but Scott Cummings has his sights set on bigger prizes than the inter-city claret jug.

Franco Smith’s squad have developed a taste for success after last season's United Rugby Championship triumph and they are handily placed for another tilt at the title as the regular season approaches its halfway point.

The 33-19 bonus-point win over Edinburgh at Hampden on Sunday kept Glasgow in second place, tucked behind Leinster, and they are also sitting second in their Champions Cup pool, ready for a tilt at Europe’s top competition which resumes early in the new year.

Glasgow's Jamie Dobie (No 22) celebrates a second half try with Scott Cummings against Edinburgh. | SNS Group

Impressive as Glasgow were at Hampden, two late tries by Edinburgh replacement prop Boan Venter took a bit of the shine off the day for the Warriors and gives the capital side a glimmer of hope for the second leg which takes place at Murrayfield this Saturday.

For Cummings, the focus is not so much on local bragging rights but more on chalking up another win to boost their chances of retaining the URC crown.

“The 1872 Cup is obviously done on aggregate, but at the end of the day, the cup that we're focusing on is at the end of the year, so we want to go out there next week and win the game. That's our game plan,” said the Scotland forward. “We're not thinking about points aggregate and things like that. We'll just be going out there to win the game.”

Another victory would keep the pressure on Leinster who travel to Limerick on Friday to play Munster in the big Irish inter-provincial derby. Edinburgh bounced back last season from a first leg defeat in the 1872 Cup to win the second leg at Murrayfield and Cummings believes the visitors’ late flurry at Hampden could serve as a useful reminder to his own team that they need to maintain concentration right until the end, regardless of how big their lead is.

Glasgow had been 33-0 ahead until Venter plundered two short-range tries from tap penalties in the final seven minutes.

Scott Cummings tries to break through the Edinburgh defence at Hampden. | SNS Group

“We can't let it be that easy for teams to score, even if we've already won the game,” said Cummings. “Look, every point matters in this league, and points difference matters, losing bonus points matters, winning bonus points, and for us to let them score two fairly simple tries off tap penalties, it just isn't good enough for us, and we all know that.

“You could say it took a wee bit of a shine off it, definitely. It's frustrating because it gives them something to work on, it gives them that bit of template of how they want to play, but also it gives us a bit of a kick up the backside to be like, ‘look, they can score tries’.

“It ain’t going to be that easy next week: they can score tries, they can be dangerous, and if we don't get things right, if we compound penalties and let them go up the pitch, that's the consequence of it. Edinburgh will be better next week, we know they will, so it's up to us to step up as well.”