PRO12: Glasgow claim 1872 Cup win over Edinburgh
Last Updated: 28/12/14 7:29pm
Glasgow beat Scottish rivals Edinburgh 16-6 in the first leg of the 1872 Cup.
No 8 Josh Strauss scored the only try of the match while Duncan Weir kicked 11 points for Glasgow. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne and Tom Heathcote kicked a penalty apiece for Edinburgh’s points.
The margin of the win at Scotstoun Stadium - which briefly put them top of the Guinness PRO12 table before the Ospreys re-took pole later on Saturday - means that all is still to play for when the teams meet again next Friday at Murrayfield.
Glasgow kicked off on a bright and dry December afternoon but it was Edinburgh that took first advantage of the conditions with Hidalgo-Clyne kicking a penalty in the fifth minute.
Seven minutes later Glasgow drew level with a penalty from Weir, with the position set-up after Glasgow had taken a scrum ball against the head. Glasgow finally pressurised the Edinburgh line just before the half-hour mark, but ill-discipline lead to a penalty for the visitors, who failed to find touch. Glasgow ran the possession back, won a penalty, and Weir's success put them ahead.
In the 37th minute Glasgow took the lead, fittingly with the first and only exciting move of the half. Sean Lamont collected Weir's kick from hand on the right wing, Pete Horne linked up and No 8 Josh Strauss ran in the try whose conversion by Weir allowed Glasgow to reach half-time leading 13-3.
Twelve minutes into the second half, with the temperature dropping, Edinburgh pulled back three points with a penalty from replacement Tom Heathcote.
The half then reverted to the tempo from the first period with both sides cancelling each other out in midfield, with the sell-out crowd fell very quiet.
They came to life, however, in the 66th minute when Glasgow broke down the left wing with winger DTH van der Merwe and substitute Niko Matawalu exchanging passes but the latter's try was ruled out by referee George Clancy on the advice of touch judge David Changleng.
However Glasgow remained on the attack with Weir's 69th-minute penalty opening the points gap again to 10. The game finished with Edinburgh on the defensive and Weir missing his first kick of the afternoon.
