Franco Smith was proud of his Glasgow Warriors players for coping with the pressure and expectation after claiming a bonus-point victory over rivals Edinburgh.
Glasgow scored four tries at Hampden, three of which came in a powerful and clinical second half, to claim the early bragging rights in the 1872 Cup.
They will now take a 12-point lead into next week’s second leg, with the winner determined by the overall scores on aggregate.
Many pundits had noted how the weight of expectation was on Glasgow after their stunning victory over Toulouse in the Champions Cup last weekend.
Smith believes his players coped well and praised them for grinding out the win in the face of a gutsy defensive effort from Edinburgh.
‘I’m obviously very grateful for the win. It was massive, really hard-fought’ said Smith, whose side have won the 1872 Cup in each of the past three seasons.
Gregor Hiddleston crosses over for Glasgow at Hampden
Warriors boss Franco Smith was delighted with his side’s display in the derby triumph
Glasgow’s Jack Dempsey impressed for Glasgow in the win over Edinburgh
‘Last week we were the team that Edinburgh were tonight. We were without pressure chasing a number against Toulouse – and this week we were the hunted.
‘Your approach does change and it gives a lot more liberty to the opposition if they have nothing to lose. Last week against Toulouse, we had nothing to lose. This week, we had everything to lose.
‘Patience was part of the message. We wanted to create as many opportunities as possible but Edinburgh snuffed a lot of them out tonight. We have more to work on.
‘Edinburgh applied themselves very well, they were very physical and didn’t miss a tackle. They made 253 tackles I think, 156 before half-time, which was a big number.
‘That was a huge compliment to their heart and the belief that they have in the programme there and the coaches.
‘They obviously believe in what Sean Everitt is trying to do there, so I think they can be proud of the way they stopped us.
‘I think if you knock on the door long enough, somewhere it needs to open. So therefore, from our perspective, I’m proud that the boys stuck to task.
‘They didn’t get discouraged by the good effort and defence from Edinburgh. We know next week will be more of the same, so it will keep us working hard and getting better at what we need.’
Warriors celebrate scoring a try in the second half to assert their dominance
This was the second year in succession Hampden has hosted Glasgow’s home leg of the 1872 Cup.
Ticket sales were down compared to 12 months ago, with a crowd yesterday of 21,093 down on the 27,538 who attended the same fixture last year.
The match itself never really burst into life, but Smith didn’t feel that the occasion lacked atmosphere. He also feels it can benefit the Scotland contingent in both squads.
‘It was a spectacle anyway,’ he noted. ‘You can’t guarantee tries. These people come to football games and see maybe two goals.
‘That’s the way it goes, we wanted to win, we wanted to grind it out. It’s like Test cricket and 20-20 cricket, there’s a completely different story.
‘There’s a derby, there’s more to playing this game than there is to us playing any other team.
‘There’s a little bit of trials in front of Scottish coaches, it’s an arm-wrestle that’s different, and it influences decision-making: do I pass the ball, do I keep it, do I kick it?
‘There’s a lot of things that influence, and I think that’s one area where Scottish players can improve: not being fazed by the grandeur of the games and the occasions.
Adam Hastings boots over a conversion as Glasgow clinched the early 1872 bragging rights
‘Just focus on playing the game, and don’t get fazed by anything else.’
Meanwhile, Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt insisted he was proud of the effort from his players despite a defeat that leaves them with a mountain to climb in next week’s second leg.
‘The boys were brave defensively,’ he said. ‘We gave Glasgow enough opportunities to have a go at us, and we kept them out.
‘At half time, the game was anyones. We spent the majority of the second half in their 22 and we just couldn’t get over the line. Credit to Glasgow and how they defended, but we need to be better in that area of the field.
‘I’m proud of the boys. We need to do more when we’re on the ball and we’ll look at that this week.
‘It’s quite a big deficit to make up, and that’s why the last try hurt us. But we’ll be motivated to make up the difference. We just need to be more accurate with ball in hand.’
