DERBY DUEL’S ALL SQUARE AFTER SCARE
Fire alert doesn’t douse Warriors’ win bid as Russell’s trusty boot crushes Gunners
Glasgow snatched 1872 Cup revenge thanks to the deadly boot of Finn Russell in a match held up for half an hour by a blaze scare.
The stadium was evacuated after 38 minutes after a fire alarm went off in the North Stand and when the all-clear was given to resume play referee Mike Adamson decided to write off the final two minutes of the first half and call half-time.
Scotland playmaker Russell, recalled to the home side, hit the target four times to stave off the Gunners’ quest for a shock festive derby double with Lee Jones getting the game’s only try.
Warriors’ boss Dave Rennie didn’t know whether to grin or groan as he said: “I wasn’t pleased with a lot of what we did but we did what was required to get the win.
“It wasn’t pretty, however we played at the right end of the pitch and managed to grind it out.
“Edinburgh are a very good side and the big plus for us was that we were much tougher mentally than we were when we lost to them at Murrayfield last week, that was satisfying.
“It was important that we finished the year with a victory. We are in a strong position in the Pro14 and we have a lot to build on over the next few months.
“We have a lot of talented young guys coming through – along with some very experienced boys who are returning now from injury.”
Having soaked up early pressure, it was Glasgow who created the first real chance thanks to a trademark charge down the middle by Alex Dunbar.
Edinburgh were then pressured into conceding a penalty in their own danger zone. And stand- off Russell’s kick was bang-on to give the Warriors an early lead.
Another Gunners transgression allowed the home troops to set up an attacking line- out but Fraser Brown’s throw was buffeted off course by the swirling breeze.
Edinburgh upped the tempo with a superb gallop from hooker Stuart McInally, however he couldn’t link with his support runners at the crucial time and another promising move broke down.
Warriors continued to have plenty of possession, but the basic handling errors that plagued them at Murrayfield last week were still spoiling the good work. It was, however, frantic end- to- end action although also more muscle and endeavour than silky skill.
Glasgow were then dealt a blow right on the half-hour mark when Brown was forced off for a concussion check and replaced by Pat MacArthur.
The home side looked like they were starting to find some cohesion as the interval approached but the fire scare, which warranted a visit from the fire brigade, brought a premature end to first-half proceedings.
On the restart, Warriors wasted no time in getting back into their stride and Russell doubled their advantage with another penalty.
His strike sparked a powerful reaction from the Gunners as they tried to get back into the game and they probed the Glasgow markers with a series of raids.
However, Russell grabbed back the l imelight with yet another penalty midway through the half.
Warriors had brought Niko Matawalu back into the side to provide the spark missing from their play last weekend and he danced away from a couple of tackles to take his side deep into enemy territory.
However, as happened time and again, Edinburgh managed to snaffle the ball at the breakdown.
The momentum continued to swing from side to side but it was that man Russell who made it 12- 0, taking his penalty tally to four before Jones snapped up the game’s only touchdown as the game move into stoppage time.
Before Russell’s conversion attempt, which he missed, a scuff le among the players broke out which saw Chris Fusaro, of Glasgow, and Fraser McKenzie of Edinburgh shown yellow cards.
Warriors’ victory levels this year’s 1872 Cup series at one win apiece. The competition is being played over three fixtures this term with the final meeting taking place in April.
Gunners coach Richard Cockerill was much more upbeat than his opposite number despite their defeat.
He said: “It was a really tough game, but I have to say I was delighted with how we performed.
“We made more chances than Glasgow but if you don’t take them against the top sides it will come back to bite you. I felt they did deserve to win the game, but not by 17 points.
“I was also delighted with the way my team kept the shackles on their superb backline. We were in the game until the end, and we battled.
“It was actually a step forward for us despite the scoreline but we don’t want to be known as plucky losers.”