Date: Sat 22nd December 2018
KO: 17:15
Venue: BT Murrayfield
Both coaches have made changes to the sides that came off the back of a first ever double-double for Scottish sides in Europe.
For Edinburgh the changes are minor, with Pierre Schoeman swapping in for Allan Dell and the rest of the side staying as is. Cockerill is clearly showing faith in the players who ground out the wins against Newcastle. For Edinburgh this fixture is hugely important in terms of their league position, and the distractions of an ancient inter-city rivalry and this fixture’s position as a de facto Scotland trial have almost become something that needs to be ignored if possible. A pleasing sight for Edinburgh fans will be the presence of Luke Crosbie on the bench, especially with Bradbury and Ritchie joining Barclay on the injured list.
Glasgow on the other hand have a more altered team with a new centre partnership in Pete Horne and Nick Grigg, and surprisingly no place in the 23 for co-captain Ryan Wilson, Chris Fusaro being the preferred option on the bench. With bad news for both Rennie and Townsend that George Turner has joined Fraser Brown on the injured list (8-10 weeks following ankle surgery), it’s a huge chance for young hooker Grant Stewart, who signed a new contract this week. It also means converted prop Kevin Bryce reverts to his old position for a slot on the bench.
It’s the benches that could make the difference and Glasgow clearly look like the side with potential game-changers on theirs, never mind that all-international back line. Edinburgh will be hoping that they are so in control that X-Factor players like Nico or Huw Jones can’t influence things late on, but the worry for the home side is that Glasgow prefer to be front runners these days and if their half-backs impose their style early on Edinburgh could find it difficult.
Edinburgh Rugby: Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham, James Johnstone, Chris Dean, Duhan van der Merwe, Jaco van der Walt, Henry Pyrgos, Pierre Schoeman, Stuart McInally, Willem Nel, Ben Toolis, Grant Gilchrist, Luke Hamilton, Hamish Watson, Viliame Mata.
Replacements: Dave Cherry, Allan Dell, Pietro Ceccarelli, Callum Hunter-Hill, Luke Crosbie, Nathan Fowles, Simon Hickey, Juan Pablo Socino.
Glasgow Warriors: Stuart Hogg, Tommy Seymour, Nick Grigg, Pete Horne, DTH van der Merwe, Adam Hastings, George Horne, Oli Kebble, Grant Stewart, Siua Halanukonuka, Rob Harley, Jonny Gray, Adam Ashe, Callum Gibbins, Matt Fagerson.
Replacements: Kevin Bryce, Jamie Bhatti, D’arcy Rae, Tim Swinson, Chris Fusaro, Ali Price, Huw Jones, Nikola Matawalu
Referee: Mike Adamson
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