1872 Cup Preview

I cannot remember a time when the anticipation for the upcoming double header between Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby has been so feverish.  Is it because the annual Christmas and New Year event has become more and more established over the last few years?  Is it because the RaboDirect Pro12 is as competitive as it has ever been?

The answer to both is a resounding yes.  But I think that more than either of those is that Scottish rugby, headed by the two professional outfits, is on something of a high at the moment.  Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have won 6 of the last 8 in all competitions and are both still in good positions to achieve reaching the knock-out stages of the European Heineken Cup.

The rugby rivalry has certainly intensified in recent years to add to the plethora of other arguements each city uses against the other for superiority.  However the significance of this brace of fixtures goes beyond claiming bragging rights.  Rather, it goes a long way to securing ever valuable points towards achieving a play-off place in the league.

Can Glasgow Warriors retain the 1872 Cup?

In the past, most games have gone the way of the home team, and so the 1872 Cup has tended to come down to who can win by more at home, with Glasgow winning overall in 3 of the last 4 seasons.  With both teams in such a rich vein of form at the moment, I suspect the same will be true again, but I would have to fancy Glasgow over the course of the two games on Boxing Day and New Years Day.

Not only are Glasgow unbeaten in 7 games in the league, but they have been buoyed by the new signing of Rory Lamont and the announcement that they have secured the signing of his brother and fellow Scotland stalwart Sean from next season.  Added to the encouraging performances in Europe, they go to Murrayfield on the 26th full of confidence.

It's also been a big week for Edinburgh, not least with Chris Paterson (starting at full back) announcing his international retirement.  They also boast the league's top try scorer in Tim Visser who is lethal when given space.

The two ties will also throw up some intriguing match-ups between rivalling Scotland first team contenders, not least between Ross Rennie and John Barclay and a rare contest between first choice Scotland scrumhalves (although I'm sure Rory Lawson would have something to say about that!) Mike Blair and Chris Cusiter.

All-in-all, we await two matches of great intrigue between two teams full of Scottish stars and who play very different styles of rugby.  I would expect that the two games will attract the biggest attendances of the season in Scotland, and perhaps ever in the league in Scotland.  I'm hoping for some entertaining, competitive rugby and of course, ultimately, a Glasgow triumph to retain the 1872 Cup