Warriors have to significantly improve to have any chance

THERE is no doubt which of the coaches of the professional teams had a better New Year. Alan Solomons will still be enjoying the warm glow of getting one over Gregor Townsend’s Glasgow Warriors last week at BT Murrayfield. The past 12 months will be forever etched in Gregor’s memory. It was the period when he won his first major trophy as a coach but he will certainly not be happy with how his team finished the year. That day in Belfast back in May seems a long time ago. Glasgow currently lie eighth in the Pro12 and need to improve greatly if they are to make a successful defence of their trophy. The selections made by both coaches today tell you everything about how they are feeling about their respective squads. Solomons has made two changes; the Toolis twins swapping shirts in the second row and the injured Tom Brown is replaced by Damian Hoyland after his defensive heroics against Taqele Naiyaravoro last Sunday. The rest of the Edinburgh team that comprehensively outplayed Glasgow have been told to go out and do the same again. Solomons knows that he does not have the strength in depth within his squad to make wholesale changes and maintain the performance levels they achieved at Murrayfield. He tried to make changes when Edinburgh played London Irish in the Challenge Cup, resting a number of the first-team players but it didn’t work and they lost before restoring his stars for the return match, which they won. This is the predicament that Solomons has at present; he knows he has to develop the strength of the squad but you only can do that if they get game time. He, though, is judged by results and Edinburgh can only win games when they are close to full strength. The pack were immense last week, suffocating Glasgow in every phase and Solomons has asked seven of them to do it all again today. This is a big ask but one they are capable of answering due to the confidence that should be flowing through the team. Tiredness doesn’t come into it

when you have a chance to do the double over your rivals and win the 1872 Cup as well. Townsend, meanwhile, has made eight changes to his starting XV. This is not unusual for Glasgow as he has the luxury of having real strength in depth. The changes he has made are a direct result of how the game went last week at Murrayfield. The scrum was under real pressure, so he has altered the props. Leone Nakarawa is out, along with Tim Swinson. Jonny Gray returns, as does Josh Strauss in the back row and their ability to break the gain line will be badly needed today if Warriors are to turn things around. Glasgow have a new set of half-backs, with Ali Price getting the nod at scrum-half to partner Duncan Weir. Warriors have picked up their fair share of injuries, especially at scrumhalf with both Henry Pyrgos and Mike Blair missing again. I am sure Townsend would have wanted Blair to play in the 1872 Cup games to bring his vast experience of this fixture from his many years at Edinburgh. He might have been able to change the tactics they had used last week which were not working and this is what young Price will have to do today. This is a huge game for Glasgow now as they need to turn things around completely from a poor performance last week. The challenge is that they could only play as well as Edinburgh allowed them and the capital side will do exactly the same today. They will take them on up front and try to dominate the scrums and contact phase that prevented Glasgow getting any go-forward whatsoever. The task is tougher with Scotstoun deemed unplayable, so the ‘return’ game has been switched back to Murrayfield. This is a big blow to Glasgow and, if they didn’t already have three other games already rearranged for the New Year, I think they would have wanted it postponed and not moved to Murrayfield. But it is on and, if Glasgow do not significantly improve, then Edinburgh will win the 1872 Cup and condemn Warriors to back-to-back defeats. Edinburgh are favourites for this game — especially now as the game is at Murrayfield.