| Venue: Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow Date: Friday, 8 January Time: 19:35 GMT |
| Coverage: Listen live on BBC Radio Scotland and follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app |
In the midst of a fairly grim few weeks and months for Scotland’s pro sides, the news that Edinburgh have retained the services of Hamish Watson came as the most welcome tonic.
With Edinburgh announcing the departure of Duhan van der Merwe, hot on the heels of Adam Hastings confirming his Glasgow exit, fans were left to wonder how many more of Scotland’s top talents were destined for the English Premiership or other more lucrative destinations.
In the list of desired player retentions, Watson would have been – alongside back-row partner Jamie Ritchie – right at the very top. He’s one of the best in his position in the world, a consistently excellent performer for club and country.
Securing Watson is just the statement the union needed to make and, while he was unable to guarantee no more big names might leave, Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill will hope securing one of the Scottish game’s crown jewels will lift what he calls “the doom and gloom”.
It was hard to feel anything other than gloomy following the last week’s 1872 Cup encounter at Murrayfield, a meeting of two teams short of momentum and confidence, with neither quite sure how to capitalise on the other’s shortcomings.
There are plenty of questions for both Edinburgh and Glasgow going into the return fixture at Scotstoun on Friday.
Wilson’s Glasgow woes
It would seem harsh for any Glasgow fan to question at this early stage whether Danny Wilson is the man to lead the club forward, but it seems there are a few.
The argument goes he’s taken the team backwards and is not in the same league as Gregor Townsend or Dave Rennie, but comparisons with his predecessors are unfair.
Has any coach in Scottish rugby been appointed in more challenging circumstances?
Numerous games cancelled or postponed; denied all his Scotland players during the Test window; others out due to Covid; marquee signings rarely available; and little time with a full squad to get his ideas across. It’s been chaos at every turn.
Other coaches are encountering the same issues, but not at the start of their reign. Wilson has been handed a huge heap of problems and deserves some time to properly implement his ideas.
Of those big-name acquisitions, Richie Gray offered a compelling case against Edinburgh that the class that made him a British and Irish Lion is still there. Four steals is a decent indicator of the job the lock did on the Edinburgh line-out. Another strong outing may catch the eye of Scotland coach Townsend.
And what of the other heralded summer arrival? The rarely-seen Leone Nakarawa has been a catastrophic signing, and another example of Wilson’s bad luck.
Though there were some reservations about the Fijian’s return, given the nature of his exit from Racing 92, few were against re-signing the one-time European player of the year.
Nakarawa has yet to appear this season and it’s unclear how much of that is down to injury and how much can be chalked up to the player’s inability, or lack of willingness, to get himself fit.
The upcoming European games are the comeback target but the best Warriors fans can hope for is to see a few glimpses of the old Nakarawa magic before his inevitable departure in the summer.
Do Cockerill’s Edinburgh need to evolve?
When Cockerill was busy overhauling Edinburgh and turning them from soft-touches to a serious outfit domestically and beyond, nobody really questioned the method behind the progress.
With results taking a serious dip since the disastrous late collapse in the Pro14 semi-final against Ulster last season, suddenly questions are coming.
Are Edinburgh too one-dimensional? Do they have a Plan B? Is Cockerill too dictatorial? Are the players able to think for themselves on the pitch? Are they given the freedom to do so?
It should never be forgotten what Cockerill was greeted with on his arrival in 2017 – a troubled club from top to bottom. His impact has been immense, but the concern is that Edinburgh have started to slide backwards this season.
To arrest that, you sense they need to add some finesse behind the scrum to the physical power they’ve long established in the pack.
Cockerill normally has a few grenades stored away to launch in Glasgow’s direction come derby week.
In Rennie, he had a target who often could not resist a bite back. But there have been no barbs traded, with Cockerill no doubt aware he’s little chance of drawing the understated Wilson into a verbal joust.
Perhaps all the fireworks are being saved for game time. Neither team is likely to mount a Pro14 play-off push, but Champions Cup rugby remains a target and both need to pick up some form for that to happen.
Edinburgh can make it three wins in a row, while Glasgow are searching for a first win since November. Desperation could be the deciding factor – and who manages to channel it best.
Article courtesy of BBC Sport
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