THE nature of 1872 Cup matches is that the games within the game are often more interesting and significant than overall performances and outcome.
An intriguing sub-plot to tonight’s match is going to be Glasgow Warriors tight-head Murphy Walker’s quest to hold his own against Edinburgh loose-head Pierre Schoeman at scrum-time and show up well around the park. The aim is to demonstrate that he’s got what it takes to be entrusted with the Scotland No 3 jersey when the Six Nations kicks-off against England at Twickenham on 4th February.
Scotland’s first choice tight-head, Zander Fagerson, is currently out of action with a hamstring injury and is in a race against time to be available for any game in the Six Nations let alone the opening one.
WP Nel is the experienced understudy, with 50-caps to his name, but he is closing in now well into his 36th year, with his presence in the tight and the loose on the wane. Simon Berghan, Sebastian Javan and D’Arcy Rae are also contenders, but neither looks like anything more than stop-gap options.
Meanwhile, Walker’s scrummaging (he can play loose-head as well as tight-head), work-rate and dynamism, suggests that with a fair wind he could become a key man in the national squad during this World Cup year.
The 23-year-old had just two professional starts and six bench appearances for Glasgow Warriors under his belt when he made his first two senior Scotland appearances in the recent Autumn Test series against Fiji and Argentina. He has since started three more games for Glasgow but remains a novice in a position where there really is no substitute for experience.
However, his career path could be about to hit a steep upward trajectory depending on how he fairs in tonight’s game and next weekend’s second re-match at Murrayfield.
“It’ll be great for Murphy because this game will be like a Test match and he’ll be scrummaging against Pierre Schoeman, who is first-choice loose-head for Scotland,” acknowledged Warriors head coach Franco Smith, after naming Walker in his team for tonight’s match.
“He was capped during the Autumn Tests, and I think at this stage it is important to give him some continuity, so he can learn through playing more regularly,” the South African added.
“He hasn’t played much so we need to find the time, but in the periods he has played he’s shown that he’s about to make that step up, and I think it is also important for Scotland with Zander being out to see what depth they’ve got in that role.”
Smith has made five changes in total to the Warriors side which started against Perpignan in the Challenge Cup last weekend.
Behind the scrum, club skipper Kyle Steyn replaces Rufus McLean on the right wing, Stafford McDowall comes in for the rested Huw Jones (who has played two full-matches after a lengthy lay-off and is also nursing a painful friction burn) at inside-centre, and Tom Jordan is preferred to Duncan Weir at stand-off.
In the pack, Fraser Brown starts at hooker with George Turner dropping to the bench, and Sintu Manjezi is selected ahead of Lewis Bean in the second-row.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh are missing several key men, with Blair Kinghorn (back spasm) and Stuart McInally (concussion) joining the likes of Darcy Graham, Mark Bennett, Hamish Watson, Dave Cherry and Nick Haining on the capital club’s injured player list – but Smith cautioned that this does not necessarily make the challenge his team faces any easier.
“This derby is one of two matches in a year to show what you are about, so it doesn’t matter who they bring in this week there is going to be special spice around the game,” he reasoned. “I think sometimes a guy getting a chance unexpectedly is more dangerous than the guy who is settled in the team, because he has a point to prove.
“Edinburgh as a collective are a good team – they have shown that – and they have also worked on their depth leading into this game.
“So, we’ve got our strategy, and we are aware of what we face this week, but I don’t think it is player-specific driven and I expect them to be really motivated to be the first team to beat at Scotstoun this season.
“Our main focus is on ourselves,” he added. “I don’t mind the opposition each week. We look at them to make sure we know what’s coming, but we must all get better, we’re a long way from where this team can be.
“If we think this is a one-off game or final, we’ll miss the objective. We train to win a final from the first day, so we’ve been training the same way, we have the same intensity, the same drivers."
Details
Glasgow Warriors (v Edinburgh at Scotstoun, Friday 23rd December, kick-off 7.35pm): J McKay: S Cancelliere, S Tuipulotu, S McDowall, K Steyn; T Jordan, G Horne; J Bhatti, F Brown, M Walker, S Manjezi, R Gray, M Fagerson, S Vailanu, J Dempsey. Substitutes G Turner, N McBeth, S Berghan, J du Preez, L Bean, C Neild, A Price, D Miotti.
