Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors players Geoff Cross and Ryan Grant kept their gloves on today as the pair prepared to pack down in the Boxing Day derby at Murrayfield.
The capital club have won six of their last seven home games, including last weekend’s Heineken Cup win over Cardiff Blues, which put them top of Pool 2, while a seven-match unbeaten run from Glasgow Warriors in the RaboDirect PRO12 has kept Sean Lineen's team in at the business end of the championship from the outset.
The double-header derby fixtures regularly attract season's best crowds and Cross, who is preparing for his sixth season of derby matches against the city rivals, believes the clubs’ successes this season are set to make next week’s match bigger than ever.
>> Click here to buy tickets for the Boxing Day derby between Edinburgh Rugby and Glasgow Warriors
He said: “The 1872 Cup derby matches are great games in which to take part. The atmosphere is exceptional as the best rugby players in the country go head to head with their biggest rivals, both as individuals and as a team.
“However, there are a lot of championship points at stake over the course of these two matches and it’s important not to lose sight of that priority, which is to win these games – starting with the Boxing Day match at Murrayfield.”
As one third of Edinburgh Rugby’s all-international front-row, Rugby World Cup prop Geoff Cross has been a familiar feature in the Scotland squad since making his debut in the opening match of the 2009 RBS Six Nations Championship against Wales and as part of the two-test win over Argentina in 2010.
Prop opponent and Scotland hopeful Ryan Grant has represented three Scottish professional teams during his career, joining Glasgow from cup rivals Edinburgh at the start of last season.
Since his move he has become a regular in the Warriors front-row, enjoying a solid debut campaign which earned him a place in the wider Scotland Rugby World Cup squad.
One week out from the country’s biggest club rugby clash, Grant looked forward to the prospect of going head to head with an old team-mate.
He said: “The 1872 Cup derbies against Edinburgh Rugby are hugely important to Glasgow Warriors' season. We've put together an encouraging run in the RaboDirect PRO12 and we'll be looking to maintain that over the next couple of weeks.
"Edinburgh have achieved some great results in both this competition and the Heineken Cup, so we know the matches are going to be massively tough.
“With both teams doing well, I'm sure the games are going to be even more fiercely fought than normal, and will make for great spectacles for the supporters.
Fans of both sides are invited to an extended post-match party/disco, where the whole Murrayfield west stand suite will be open until late. Full details will be provided shortly on www.edinburghrugby.org
