Both Edinburgh and Glasgow got boosts heading into their 1872 Cup clash having secured two of Scotland’s best young players on long-term contracts.
Alex Dunbar, who graduated from the Warriors into Scotland’s first choice outside centre in 2013, and Grant Gilchrist, who has blossomed into one of the best young second rows in Europe, have been secured on new terms at a time when players from other Rabodirect PRO12 nations are being lured to England and France.
Dunbar, 23, will make his 50th appearance for Glasgow at Murrayfield and although he has only three caps to date, he formed a promising midfield partnership with Matt Scott in the summer until injury put both out of the November tests.
International head coach Scott Johnson is known to rate the player who represented Glasgow at every age level from under-16 upwards has signed until 2017.
“My game has really developed since I signed a professional contact with the club and I’m enjoying working with the coaches and players we have here,” he said.
“I’m still young so I’ve got a lot to learn and I want to continue to work hard to develop my game. It was a real honour to make my Scotland debut in the summer and playing for the Warriors made that possible.
“I am very ambitious and I want to win things in Glasgow and I believe we have a squad capable of doing that.”
Gilchrist, a product of the Alloa club, has impressed in big games against Munster, Gloucester and Leinster in recent weeks and played in the final Autumn test against Australia, and has committed until 2016.
“It was an easy decision to make,” he said.
“I think we’re heading in the right direction with the right personnel in place to ensure that continues.
“This is where I started my professional rugby career and I certainly see no need to look elsewhere.
Being here is going to make me a better player, and has made me a better player already.”
Head coach Alan Solomons said the deal was “fantastic news” for the capital club.
“Gilcho is an outstanding young player and I think he is going to go on and play many, many Test matches for Scotland,” said the coach.
Meanwhile, there appears to be a real edge to today’s contest with resurgent Edinburgh having won four of their last five games and believing they are poised to take back the 1872 Cup to prevent an unprecedented fifth Glasgow victory in succession.
Glasgow’s selection does indicate that they want to rein back the open style that served them well the second half of last season but has been less effective in recent weeks, notably in the two sobering Heineken Cup losses to Cardiff.
There’s a suggestion that the sorry state of the Murrayfield pitch, with the surface cutting up badly due to a parasite infestation, may have convinced the Warriors to play a more conservative game.
However, there’s been a few shots across the bows of their rivals from players in the Warrior camp, skipper Chris Cusiter describing Edinburgh as “risk-averse”, and Stuart Hogg wondering aloud how many Scottish-qualified players are now in the capital side after an influx of foreign imports under Solomons’ watch.
Gilchrist summed up the Edinburgh feeling when asked if his new deal had given him a boost going into the match.
“I don’t need a lift for this game, I can’t wait for the Glasgow derby,” he said.
“Obviously I’m over the moon to have signed again but there’s no other incentive needed for these games.”
Gilchrist’s battle with Tim Swinson will be one that interests interim Scotland head coach Johnson, as will the the contests between Dunbar and Nick De Luca, Cusiter and Grieg Laidlaw, and No 8s Ryan Wilson and David Denton.
Glasgow’s Duncan Weir, despite a difficult match in Cardiff in his last outing, has a big chance to make a call for the Scotland 10 jersey as he is preferred to Ruaridh Jackson but Greig Tonks, outstanding in Edinburgh’s last two games as an emergency 10, could make the discussion about the key playmaking role a little more interesting.