Edinburgh blow away Warriors in derby to net Champions Cup place

Edinburgh overturn 13-point deficit and lift the 1872 Cup

AFTER a performance which oozed class and composure, the rewards for Edinburgh were plentiful. The most tangible came in the form of the 1872 Cup, hoisted aloft by their captain Grant Gilchrist in front of a raucous home crowd at Murrayfield.

Other prizes will follow in future, such as qualification into next season’s Champions Cup and the chance to dine at the top table of European rugby once again.

Mike Blair’s side also won the Scottish-Italian shield in the United Rugby Championship and now have a quarter-final play-off in South Africa against the Stormers to look forward to.

If that looks to be a tough assignment, then that applies tenfold to Glasgow. They face a trip to Ireland to face Leinster.

Edinburgh were simply outstanding in the way they overturned a 13point deficit from the first leg to beat the Warriors on aggregate in the two-game series.

These two rivals have endured contrasting fortunes this season. Although it went down to the final day, there can be little doubt that Edinburgh played the better rugby of the two over the course of the season and deserved to finish on top.

They won this match thanks to tries from three stalwarts; Blair Kinghorn, Damien Hoyland and Magnus Bradbury.

Conditions were perfect for some free-flowing rugby as a crowd of 24,187 at Murrayfield bathed in some late-afternoon sunshine ahead of kick-off.

Emiliano Boffelli has been pretty much metronomic with his goalkicking for Edinburgh this season, so there were a few gasps of disbelief when he missed a fairly straightforward penalty after eight minutes.

But the Argentine full-back didn’t let it affect his confidence. He made amends by drilling another penalty between the posts to put his side 3-0 ahead on the quarter-hour mark.

Glasgow had a couple of decent moments with ball in hand during the early stages but failed to make any proper inroads.

The Warriors finally got on the scoreboard on 22 minutes when flyhalf Ross Thompson slotted a penalty to level the scores at 3-3.

These derby games rarely lack a bit of spice — and Glasgow skipper Ryan Wilson is certainly no stranger to a robust exchange of opinions with an opponent.

Wilson was up to all his usual tricks, but an off-the-ball skirmish with Edinburgh lock Jamie Hodgson was costly in that the concession of a penalty allowed the home side to clear their lines when Glasgow had them under pressure.

It was proving to be a game of few clear-cut chances, but Edinburgh were just shading it. They duly took the lead by scoring the opening try of the night after half an hour.

Darcy Graham was restored to the team after a recent muscle injury and it looked like the Scotland winger might score, only to be hauled down just short of the line.

But Kinghorn was alert and he pounced on the loose ball. After wriggling through a weak tackle from Sam Johnson, he touched down to the joy of the home support.

Boffelli added the extras and Edinburgh now led 10-3. But their rhythm was soon disrupted by an injury to scrum-half Ben Vellacott.

He had to leave the field and was replaced by the vastly experienced Henry Pyrgos, the former Warriors man who won a league title with Glasgow back in 2015.

Thompson drilled another penalty for Glasgow on 38 minutes, but it was swiftly cancelled out by another from Boffelli barely 60 seconds later.

The first half hadn’t been a classic, but Edinburgh wouldn’t have cared much as they took a 13-6 lead down the tunnel at the break.

They wasted no time in extending their lead after the resumption of play, with Bradbury scoring their second try of the night just four minutes into the second half.

Scrum-half Pyrgos worked the ball to centre Chris Dean and his quick hands fed the ball to Bradbury, with the big No8 powering over to score.

It was a nice moment for Bradbury on his final home game for the club before he departs to join Bristol Bears in the summer.

Boffelli missed the conversion, but Edinburgh still had a healthy lead in the bank at 18-6. Glasgow needed to find a spark from somewhere.

Indeed, with a lead of 12 points, the home side were now within a whisker of overturning the 13-point deficit from the first leg as they chased the 1872 Cup.

Glasgow were beginning to look ragged — and their chances of mounting a comeback weren’t helped when lock Rob Harley was yellow-carded on 50 minutes.

Boffelli then slotted another penalty — and it was vital in the bigger picture. Now leading 21-6, Edinburgh now had the lead on aggregate with regards the 1872 Cup.

Glasgow were fading. With such a lengthy injury list, they had no real firepower on the bench to call upon.

Edinburgh were threatening to blow Glasgow away, and a brilliant run from Scotland winger Graham electrified the crowd and brought the fans to their feet shortly after the hour mark.

It was only a matter of time before they scored another try — and it duly arrived when winger Hoyland applied the finishing touch to a lovely, flowing team move.

But Glasgow responded immediately when young full-back Ollie Smith produced a superb finish after latching on to Domingo Miotti’s crossfield kick.

Miotti missed the conversion as Edinburgh still led 28-11. But they were still well in control of the match and, with a 17-point lead, also the destiny of the 1872 Cup.

It was a lead they would not relinquish. They will now take plenty of confidence into the play-offs, whereas the Warriors must lick their wounds after a fourth successive loss in all competitions.

SCORERS; Edinburgh — Tries: Kinghorn, Bradbury, Hoyland. Cons: Boffelli (2). Pens: Boffelli (3).

Glasgow — Try: Smith. Pens: Thompson (2).