Grant Gilchrist challenges Edinburgh to get better of Glasgow again

Grant Gilchrist has challenged Edinburgh to notch a third consecutive home win over Glasgow as they bid to give themselves a chance of reclaiming the 1872 Cup.

United Rugby Championship points are the priority for both sides at Murrayfield on Saturday but the inter-city silverware is also up for grabs, with Warriors protecting a 12-point advantage after defeating Sean Everitt’s side 24-12 at Hampden last weekend.

Edinburgh have not won the 1872 Cup since the 2021-22 season but Gilchrist, whose side have won eight of their last nine home matches against Glasgow, was optimistic about their prospects this weekend .

“We play at home, we’re a bloody good team at home, and we’ve shown that over a number of years,” said the experienced Scotland lock. “We know what it takes this week to get that right.

“We’ve done that the last two years, so we’re going to have to dig deep again and find that emotional energy, physicality, and then just be a bit more accurate in those key moments.

“It’s always the same, we want to win the (1872) Cup, but league points are the most important thing, because we play in a league where we’ve got to get in the top eight to get into the quarter-finals, so points are essentially what you’re after. But we’ve got to play to win by 13 points as well.”

Gilchrist was “frustrated” with Saturday’s first-leg defeat, admitting Edinburgh did not attack well enough. But he was heartened by the way they stood up to their hosts in comparison to the equivalent match at Hampden last year, when they were 33-0 down before losing 33-14.

“I think it was a very different performance to last year, where we were blown away by them,” said Gilchrist. “We certainly weren’t that on Saturday.

“But we have to throw our own punches, we have to be better when we’ve got the ball. You don’t beat Glasgow without defending well. And we’ve shown that we can withstand a lot.

“We’re a tough team to play against and we had them right where we wanted them coming in at half-time. But when we got the ball, we didn’t have that same cutting edge as we need to come out with the right result.”