The Firhill pitch is tight for rugby, but Chris Paterson believes the margins between Glasgow and Edinburgh are tighter going into the second leg of the 1872 Cup this weekend.
The teams couldn’t be separated in the first match at Murrayfield on Monday, but Paterson, who was playing his first game since his announcement of his retiral from internationals, admitted his Edinburgh team were lucky to get a share of the points in the end Ruaridh Jackson failing to convert his own late try and also missing a penalty that would have won the match for the Warriors.
Although the Warriors are thought to have a big advantage for the second leg due to being more accustomed to the narrow Firhill playing surface, the 109-cap veteran still thinks his team can bring in their primary attacking weapon Tim Visser.
The Dutch wing, who qualifies for Scotland in June, continued his extraordinary try-scoring record with his 9th and 10th scores in the RaboDirect Pro 12 this season, a rate of a try a game with the nearest challenger to his top-scoring crown having half that amount.
”Vis is unbelievable at finishing you can obviously see that from his try count but it’s his ability in getting to the line that stands out, as we saw in the first game,” said Paterson. ”He needed the TMO both times but he held off the last defender to get the verdict.
”His record means he’s getting closely marked now, but he’s still having a massive influence that’s how strong and powerful he is. The more space he has the better, but he’s great in contact, he fights hard and makes yards if you get him quality ball.
”As a physical specimen he’s fantastic, big and fast, but balanced as well, and strong. He’s getting better every game he plays and he’s been outstanding defensively this season as well, and some people had questioned his defence.”
Visser coming inside at Firhill will surely be a feature with room limited on the outside, but Paterson reckons there is nothing to separate the teams at any venue.
”Monday was a better result for Glasgow, no doubt, because we were at home, but there’s nothing between the two sides going into this weekend.
”We all know each other so well, and we all have a fair idea of each other’s lineout calls, some of them are used generically at Scotland. A lot of us work with the same coaches for a third of the year after all.
”It’s pretty tough for one team to dominate for any amount of time when we know each other so well. The games are tight and the margins are tight, so the venue doesn’t make a huge amount of difference.”
Glasgow will likely to be without Rory Lamont, who will be undergoing concussion protocols after a collision with Ross Rennie led to him being stretchered from the field, although he was conscious in the dressing room and walked to his transport to hospital for a precautionary check-up.
Lamont’s head-to-head with Visser didn’t really materialise as the Scotland wing had to go off, but Glasgow seemed to win a few key battles across the pitch and will be confident of retaining the 1872 Cup on Sunday.
David Lemi seemed to have the edge on Lee Jones on the other wing, Chris Cusiter clearly bested Mike Blair in their head-to-head at scrum-half, while after Edinburgh’s impressive start the Glasgow second row unit of Al Kellock, Richie Gray and replacement Tom Ryder were far more effective as the game progressed.
Photo by Lynne Cameron/PA Archive