Duncan Weir knew he needed to emerge with the ball from his key tussle with opposite number Greig Tonks in the Boxing Day 1872 Cup first leg, but the unlikely steal might just have turned Glasgow Warriors’ season.
Warriors and Scotland defence coach Matt Taylor preaches going in to tackles low to put men down but Weir went against the plan to attack the ball being carried by Tonks, turning over the ball which launched the counterattack move for Stuart Hogg’s decisive try in Glasgow’s 20-16 win, their fourth successive 1872 Cup victory.
“It was just as well I did get the ball because Matt would have taken my head off at the end if I hadn’t,” said Weir, who was Glasgow’s hero in a backs-to-the-wall performance with his key steal and five successful penalties.
“I knew Tonksie was carrying the ball and leading with it, which gave me a chance, so I was pretty pleased with that to win what was such a hard fought battle.”
Weir only missed the conversion of Stuart Hogg’s try on a difficult surface for footing at Murrayfield, but he reckons the belief of the team in each other was what helped them end their recent slump and come back after being put through the wringer by Edinburgh’s aggressive forward play.
“We’re a strongly knitted team and we stick together,” he said.
“I think the bench, especially the forward pack guys that came on, made a real impact, and it was a real squad effort.
“We really needed it, not just because it was such a tough battle, but because we were frustrated not to be able to get back on the horse against Treviso last week which got postponed, and after the two games against Cardiff when we just weren’t good enough.
“The win gives us that belief in ourselves again. It’ll be another huge battle at Scotstoun and obviously there are areas that we still have to improve on, but we’re moving forward again after beating an Edinburgh side that are playing with so much more confidence.”
It came even with No 8 Ryan Wilson in at inside centre for the last half hour of the game, but the Warriors didn’t concede a point in the second half.
“He was nagging away at us at every stoppage and setpiece asking where he needed to be, but he’s a big lump of a centre if we need him to play there again,” added Weir.
For Edinburgh try-scorer Dougie Fife, the four point margin is surmountable in the second leg.
“I think if we played the same way we did at Murrayfield with a little more of an edge the win is there and by more than the four points we need to win the Cup, although winning is the first target,” said the wing.
His try was his fourth in the last four games, but Fife was bemoaning the other chances.
“I only just realised that it was four-from-four but we had other chances, if you look at the one in the left corner in the first half, that’s a big part of the game there,” he continued.
“We get that try, it’s a decent lead for the second half. We left a few more out there.”
Fife’s recent form may get interest from the Scotland management team but he’s not even considering that.
“The next game at Scotstoun is the biggest of my career so far and I’m not really looking at anything but that,” he said.
“We’re going to have come back with a fresh mind, but we can definitely win over there in Scotstoun, especially the way the forwards played in the first game.”
Glasgow head coach Gregor Townsend has insisted league points are more important to him than 1872 Cup silverware.
The Warriors coach told Glasgow’s official website: “First and foremost these games are all about doing as well as we can in the league.
“The 1872 Cup is a mini tournament in the wider context of the league but getting those four points is valuable.
“We had our last game in the league against Treviso postponed which gave other teams around us the chance to get ahead so getting that win puts us in a good position, but we have to back it up next week at Scotstoun.”
“It was a very big fixture for us and it was the last game before the halfway point of the season so it was good to get the win.
“We know how tough we had to fight for that win and we had to play much better in the second-half, so next week is going to be another incredible battle.
“I thought Edinburgh played really well, especially up front and they pose a real physical test to you.
“We know Edinburgh will push us very hard next week and I thought they played really well yesterday.”