Chris Dean’s dramatic late try saw 14-man Edinburgh Rugby inflict a first domestic defeat of the season for Glasgow Warriors. It is the first 1872 Cup clash of the three scheduled this campaign, with the second at Scotstoun next week in what is a festive double header between the Scottish sides. And it is Edinburgh who will be smiling going into Christmas after a spirited display in front of 23,833 fans, a record 1872 Cup crowd. Warriors went into the encounter with a perfect ten wins from ten in this season’s Guinness PRO14, and it looked like it would be a routine 11th early on. The opening exchanges all went Glasgow’s way as the returning Huw Jones crashed over in only the second minute, Peter Horne making no mistake from the tee to add the extras. And it went from bad to worse for the hosts when Simon Berghan was red-carded just minutes later. The hosts could have folded, but showed a battling resilience to stay within touching distance of their in-form visitors. And they got themselves on the scoresheet when Sam Hidalgo-Clyne sent a penalty sailing between the posts on 18 minutes. Indeed, Edinburgh had a sizeable amount of possession and territory as they kept Glasgow at bay for the rest of the half. The visitors came out strongly in the second period and moved themselves seven points clear once more, Peter Horne slotting a three-pointer after winning a penalty at the scrum. However, almost immediately, Edinburgh closed the gap when Hidalgo-Clyne displayed dead-eye vision once again to net his second penalty. Warriors will have thought they had dealt the decisive blow 15 minutes into the second half when Scott Cummings raced over. Finn Russell, on for Alex Dunbar, sent the conversion true from out wide. Once again, however, the 14 men of Edinburgh refused to roll over and hit back with a score of their own six minutes later. Replacement Nathan Fowles powered over for his side’s first try, wing Duhan van der Merwe converting. And Edinburgh sensed their opportunity as they pushed and pushed in the closing stages, finally getting their reward when Dean crossed the whitewash with a minute to go. Despite van der Merwe missing the conversion, the referee’s whistle blew, sparking wild celebrations among the Edinburgh faithful. Guinness PRO14 Final 2018 Ticket Information: Fans can save up to 20% on selected tickets, and prices start at just €30 for adults and €5 for children, and can be booked via www.ticketmaster.ie
