HARLEY READY FOR 1872 CUP CRACKER
Harley loves facing Edinburgh more than anyone with recent form promising an epic festive face-off
THE history books have crept open. On a blank page, Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh now have it within their power to write a chapter of unprecedented success.
Following a clean sweep from their December double-headers, there is now a genuine chance that, for the first time ever, both Scottish clubs could qualify for the knockout stages of the Heineken Champions Cup.
Such a scenario was perhaps to be expected from Glasgow’s end of the bargain. The fact they have progressed from the pool stage on only one occasion, back in 2016-17, is more a story of underachievement than a genuine reflection of their ability as a team.
For Edinburgh, though, it is rather more surprising. They were given little chance at the start of the season when the draw placed them in a section with French heavyweights Toulon and Montpellier, along with Newcastle Falcons of the English Premiership.
But Richard Cockerill’s men continue to defy the odds, something which has become a running theme during the Englishman’s time in charge of the club.
They are no longer the plucky underdogs. Nor are they the sluggers who would previously have been happy at dishing out the odd bloody nose or two.
They are a serious team and a force to be reckoned with, which Glasgow certainly discovered to their cost this time last year.
Undefeated in the Pro14 as they headed into last season’s first 1872 Cup clash at Murrayfield, the Warriors lost 18-17 to their rivals in a festive thriller.
An impressive result for Edinburgh in any case, but all the more so given that they played 74 minutes with just 14 men following an early red card for Simon Berghan.
Glasgow are once again in fine fettle as they head into derby week. Their 21-10 triumph over Lyon at Scotstoun on Saturday was workmanlike, admittedly, but certainly not to be sniffed at given how atrocious the conditions were.
That came on the back of two successive bonus-point victories — the first over Cardiff Blues, the second against Lyon in France — which leave Dave Rennie’s men with their destiny in their own hands heading into the final round of games against Cardiff and Saracens next month.
What we’ll have on our hands this coming Saturday, then, is a meeting between two of the form teams on the continent.
It certainly gets the juices flowing and, for Glasgow’s Rob Harley, an awareness of just how much Edinburgh have improved over the past 18 months is still foremost in the thoughts of all concerned.
‘I’m sure they’ll be talking about that (game last season) and will be just as fired up as we are. That’s why it’s a massive game,’ said the versatile forward.
‘I think we’re motivated by the game and by the desire to keep our run going in the league because we’re playing with good form there.
‘You’ve got different teams and a different season, so there’s definitely motivation from where we are in the league and the rivalry, but I think that’s the challenge we have in front of us.’
The landscape has altered quite dramatically since Harley made his debut for Glasgow back in 2010. For starters, they no longer play their home games in front of two men and a dog at Firhill.
They are also far more accustomed to the taste of success now than they were back then, regularly competing at the sharp end of the Pro14.
Indeed, Harley scored the opening try of the match when Warriors beat Munster 31-13 in the final to clinch the title in 2015 under Gregor Townsend.
Despite that triumph, though, and the fact that the club now regularly mix it with the big boys of European rugby, this is still the game above all others for Harley.
Given that the 28-year-old became the most-capped player in Glasgow’s history in February earlier this year, he perhaps understands the significance more than most.
‘When I was growing up, this was the biggest game as a fan you’d come and watch, the 1872 Cup, and I think it’s still that way,’ he added.
‘It’s the one on the calendar that means the most coming from Glasgow. So we’ll think about individual match-ups from a skills perspective and what we have to look for as a team.
‘But, on a personal level, it’s more about the rivalry and trying to make a mark on that.
‘Our form has been pretty good this season, so, hopefully, that carries us through. But Edinburgh is always a massive game for us. It is a little bit special and I think we’ll have that mentality this week that it takes a step up and a big performance from us.’
Of the victory over Lyon, Harley added: ‘I think we’ll take positives and negatives from it. The way we started the game is exactly what we’d want (Niko Matawalu scored the opening try after 44 seconds).
‘The negative is that, when we got that lead, we didn’t really advance from there.
‘I think we can probably expect the weather to be similar to that against Edinburgh. In terms of needing to play with a real physical edge, that probably carries over into next week.’