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'You’ve got to pretty much suffocate the opposition' - Edinburgh coach
By PA
Sean Everitt feels Edinburgh must find a way of “suffocating” Glasgow if they are to overturn a 12-point deficit to claim the 1872 Cup at Murrayfield on Saturday.
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Warriors defeated the men from the Scottish capital 22-10 in the first leg of the inter-city derby at Scotstoun last Friday.
Senior Edinburgh coach Everitt knows his team will need to be in full control of proceedings at the national stadium this weekend if they are to give themselves a chance of the big win they require to land the silverware and the local bragging rights.
However, the South African is adamant that simply defeating Glasgow and claiming United Rugby Championship points has to be their main objective.
“We mustn’t forget we are in a URC competition and points are vital,” he said when asked about striking the balance between victory this weekend and chasing down the 12-point deficit.
“We’ve got to look at getting league points first and that’s by winning. We’ll always have the deficit in the back of our minds but it’s about how you eat into that deficit.
“One of them is when you get an opportunity to put points on the board, you cannot concede soft points. You’ve got to pretty much suffocate the opposition to be able to get that points difference.
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“For us, it’s about the URC at this stage so we’re going to go out for the win first and then we’ll have a look at getting into that deficit.”
Everitt has made two changes to the side that started the first match at Scotstoun, with Luke Crosbie replacing Hamish Watson in the back row and centre Mark Bennett taking over from the injured James Lang.
The coach will be hoping his side are boosted by news over the past week that “X-factor” Scotland wings Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham have both extended their contracts, by one and three years respectively.
“It’s a massive boost for Edinburgh and Scottish rugby,” said Everitt. “We’re delighted to have them both sign on. They contribute a lot to the team and we rely on the experience they bring as international rugby players.
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“Darcy has been in scintillating form in the last World Cup and we know how dangerous he can be with ball in hand.
“With defences the way they are at the moment, you need these X-factor players and they both certainly bring that to the field at the weekend.”
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The writer here ignores the fact that, following on from not taking the penalty kick, the All Blacks did manage to score a try a few minutes later. Not directly from the penalty awarded, but it is speculation to say that had they opted to take the koi they would have won. Even if they kicked it, which was no guarantee, they would still be trailing and would have had to start again at half-way.
Go to commentsI would be surprised if Sales Opoku Fordjour and Northampton’s Tommy Freeman are not in the team, Anthony Watson is also one that could go on the wing. One thing I must say is that the front 3 will get destroyed against a team like South Africa.
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