Edinburgh claim derby win in front of record crowd

• 29 Dec 2024
• News

Edinburgh Ruby beat Glasgow Warriors 10-7 in a Scottish Gas Murrayfield dogfight, claiming the hard-fought intercity victory in front of 40,063 people, a record crowd for a Scottish club rugby match.

Glasgow still lifted the 1872 Cup after winning on aggregate over two legs, however that didn’t dampen a huge day, sand significant four points, for the capital club.

The BKT United Rugby Championship champions were knocked out of their stride by Sean Everitt’s side in a stuffy and physical 80 minutes, where clear cut chances were few and far between.

With Edinburgh leading 3-0 at the interval, a 69th minute penalty try turned the game in Glasgow’s favour before replacement Pierre Schoeman hit back instantly to ensure Edinburgh won the day and claimed a deserved victory.

Head Coach Sean Everitt said: “I’m very proud. It was tough week for all of us. We’re all in it together, we put in the hard yards, put in some really good conversations through the week.

“It wasn’t easy to identify what was wrong. It was about recognising, if we get it right how good we can be. Tonight, it was a dominant performance although the scoreboard doesn’t suggest that.

“If I was on the losing end, I’d be really disappointed. Defensively we were strong tonight. We had weak moments last week but we put a lot of pressure on them in attack, although it didn’t lead to tries.

“Compliments to Glasgow. To keep us out for those long periods of time was really good from them. A great game, although the scoreline might not suggest that.

“I wouldn’t say it’s technical, it’s more of a mindset thing. We always perform well at home. The boys were hurting and disappointed last week. They knew they were better than they showed.

“At half-time, we’d given away two penalties. Glasgow had given away six. Life does become easier for you.

“Last year, we beat the Bulls and Glasgow – the finalists in the competition. We’ve beaten some top dogs here. Those are the things that are frustrating for me, but hopefully this win is a wake-up call that we are a top four team and if we get our mindset right and put in a performance like that, maybe we won’t get all the results but we’ll get the majority.

“When they scored, there were 12 minutes left or so and that’s quite a long way to go. I was confident if we could hold onto the ball that we’d be able to either get level or find the winning try.

“The short kick off just shows how brave the boys are. We did show intent and that’s the most pleasing part.”

The hosts got the scoreboard ticking over in the 23rd minute when Ross Thompson sent a penalty between the posts.

The stand-off had a chance to add another three points to his tally 10 minutes later but his kick from 45 metres out drifted wide.

Edinburgh looked for a moment like they might be able to stretch their lead as they exerted pressure in front of the line in the lead-up to half-time.

However, just as they seemed set to score in the 38th minute following a quick tap penalty, Luke Crosbie was unlucky as he dropped the ball while reaching out over the line, meaning they had to settle for a tight 3-0 interval advantage.

Glasgow cranked up the pressure as the match moved into the final quarter and they thought they had scored in the 67th minute but Rory Darge was held up on the line.

However, the Warriors got themselves ahead two minutes later when they were awarded a penalty try after the hosts collapsed the maul, with replacement hooker Paddy Harrison sent to the sin bin.

Despite this setback, Edinburgh restored their lead just a minute later when Scotland prop Schoeman, who signed a new long-term deal earlier in the week, bulldozed his way over, with Ben Healy adding the extras to seal the victory.