'URC licking their lips that it's all come down to the final game'

Nigel Carolan believes Glasgow can benefit from the fact they do not have to visit Edinburgh’s compact DAM Health Stadium this Saturday in the URC. The crucial second leg of the 1872 Cup will instead take place at the much bigger BT Murrayfield in order to accommodate a larger number of supporters.

Edinburgh were unbeaten at DAM Health until losing to Ulster at the end of last month, and assistant coach Carolan hopes the fact they have relinquished home turf will play into Glasgow’s hands. “Up until the last couple of games, they have made the DAM Health a fortress,” he said.

“Ulster and Wasps pipped them there but certainly they have made life really difficult for the teams they have played there. So to some degree, this is a neutral venue, it’s common to the internationalists in both squads. It probably levels the advantage in some ways.”

Carolan believes Saturday’s Glasgow versus Edinburgh match promises to be a spectacular occasion for Scottish rugby with derby bragging rights, Champions Cup qualification, and a slightly more favourable URC quarter-final the reward for the winners.

“There is a lot on the line,” he said. “The 1872 Cup in itself has a lot of tradition and history, the play-offs to get seventh position over eighth, and the Champions Cup is on the line, so there is a lot at stake.

"If I was a neutral fan I’d be expecting to see two teams who want to play some ball. The URC will be licking their lips that it has all come down to the final game.”

Carolan confirmed Glasgow have no fresh injury concerns. “Everyone’s fit and available apart from our long-term injuries,” he said. “I’d love to be able to call on Scott Cummings, Matt Fagerson, Fraser Brown and Rory Darge but everyone else is in reasonable health so we plough on.”