EDINBURGH head coach Mike Blair has called four Scotland internationalists into his starting fifteen for tonight’s high-stakes inter-city derby match against Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield Stadium – but he believes the real key to success will be whether the squad collectively manage to strike the right emotional balance.
He wants them pumped up so that they are able impose themselves physically on opponents who are bound to compete ferociously in a game which both teams will view as ‘must-win’, but he recognises the danger of overstepping the line and sacrificing clarity of thought.
“These derby games are always big, and it is really important for us to get the balance right with our levels of emotion,” said Blair. “We need to bring enough [emotion] so that we are physical but also have control so that we make good decisions under pressure.
“It is about playing the game, not the occasion” he added. “I don't want our guys going into this thinking it is a big game, I want them to go in thinking about what the process is and what it requires to beat this Glasgow team.
“I think that’s the game, often, isn’t it? To use the emotion and the motivation in the correct way to allow you to get the focus and intensity you want in the game, but also being in charge of your emotions so you don’t do anything silly.”
With this game being moved to the end of the season after Covid led to a postponement from the usual festive slot, there is significantly more at stake than normal.
The capital side are hoping to overturn a 13-point deficit from the first leg of this season’s 1872 Cup double-header, which was played in March, in order to reclaim that trophy.
Final rankings in the United Rugby Championship table will also be confirmed after the match, which will determine the draw for the league’s quarter-final play-offs in a fortnight’s time.
However, the biggest prize up for grabs is top spot in the URC’s Scottish-Italian Shield, which will secure entry into next year’s European Champions Cup, with the loser being consigned to the far less prestigious and lucrative Challenge Cup.
Three of the four internationalists added to the starting team this week weren’t involved at all in the the home defeat to Wasps a fortnight ago, with talismanic winger Darcy Graham returning from five weeks out with a thigh injury, hooker Dave Cherry recovering from the arm knock he sustained against Ulster three weeks ago, and Hamish Watson back after being rested.
The final changes sees Pierre Schoeman come in to wear the number one jersey this week having started the Wasps game on the bench, only to be required on the field before half-time because Edinburgh’s scrum was in big trouble – highlighting just how important the South African-born loose-head is to the team.
Edinburgh are also bolstered by the return from a knee injury of Scotland centre James Lang, who is on the bench, with Chris Dean retaining the No 12 jersey.
“We just felt Chris had played well in the last couple of games and deserved that opportunity,” explained Blair. “When guys have taken their opportunity this season, we’ve tried to give them a few games and let them build on it, and we believe Chris is playing in a really confident way at the moment.
“He’s also got experience of this fixture, and we’ve obviously got Langers on the bench who can cover 12 and 13 as well, which is great.”
With the game being moved away from the DAM Health Stadium to the 67,144-seater national bowl as a means of maximising ticketing revenue, Edinburgh are going to lose the advantage which comes from playing on an artificial surface they are much more familiar with than their opponents – but Blair claimed that this was of minimal concern to him and his squad.
“When we went to South Africa earlier this year, we trained and played on grass having been working on 4G the whole time here, and we didn’t have any adverse reactions,” he reasoned.
“The guys have felt good this week training on the grass, and you’ll see that the pitch is in brilliant condition – it is almost like Astroturf, it’s that quick and hard. So, I don’t think it will change what we’re trying to do.”
Edinburgh (v Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield Stadium, Saturday 6.30pm): E Boffelli; D Graham, M Bennett, C Dean, D Hoylsnd; B Kinghorn, B Vellacott; P Schoeman, D Cherry, W Nel, J Hodgson, G Gilchrist (captain), L Crosbie, H Watson, M Bradbury. Substitutes: A McBurney C Harrison, L Atalifo, M Sykes, B Muncaster, H Pyrgos, J van der Walt, J Lang.
