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Hampden Park clash a ‘a massive privilege’ for Warriors' boss Smith

By PA
Franco Smith

Franco Smith declared it “a massive privilege” to be leading Glasgow as they prepare to play in front of their biggest-ever home crowd in the first leg of the 1872 Cup showdown with Edinburgh on Sunday.

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Warriors made the decision to move the inter-city fixture away from their Scotstoun home to the 51,000-capacity Hampden Park, and close to 30,000 tickets have been sold.

Head coach Smith, who welcomes captain Kyle Steyn back into the starting XV for the first time since he suffered a leg injury in September, is relishing the showpiece occasion as his side bid to secure themselves an advantage ahead of the return fixture at Murrayfield the following weekend.

“From my personal perspective, it’s a massive privilege to be a part of it,” said the South African.

“I’m really excited. I will never take this for granted. I used to watch these derbies from afar for a long time, and to be a part of it again is a real privilege. I will always keep that dear to my heart in my life.

“To go to Hampden, from the players’ perspective, they know just as I do and the way the way we’ve anticipated for these two games that it’s going to be a huge occasion. It’s massive for the players.

“It is important to not only underline what we’ve been trying to do during the season but to prove to themselves that we’re on the right path and to be consistent in what we do against their own countrymen is obviously an important part of the puzzle.

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“We’re going to be focused on what we can do well, not necessarily what Edinburgh will bring, but what we can do well. For us, playing in a massive game like this and to measure ourselves against the best other Scottish team is obviously a huge opportunity.”

Edinburgh will travel west as underdogs given that they have finished well below defending champions Glasgow in the United Rugby Championship in each of the previous two seasons, are currently five places below them, and have lost the last two stagings of the 1872 Cup.

Duhan van der Merwe, Scotland’s record try-scorer, will make his 100th appearance for Edinburgh in Sunday’s match.

“We know how tough it will be to face Glasgow away,” said head coach Sean Everitt. “They have a strong record at home, so we’ll need to be at our best to beat them.

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“I’m really happy for Duhan to have got to 100 caps. He’s been such an important player for this team over the years and it’s great to see him hit the milestone against Glasgow.”

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Hindi Urdu 1 hour ago
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H
Hindi Urdu 1 hour ago
England explain their backing for Marcus Smith to stay on the kicks

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The recovery process began with a deep dive into the blockchain. Using sophisticated algorithms, Galaxy Ethical Tech traced the movement of my Bitcoin. They identified the wallets where my funds had been transferred and uncovered a network of interconnected accounts designed to obscure the trail. The scammers had used multiple layers of transactions to launder the funds, but Dr. Voss and her team were relentless.Weeks turned into months, and the team kept me updated every step of the way. They worked tirelessly, navigating the labyrinth of the blockchain and collaborating with international authorities to freeze suspicious accounts. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I received the news I had been praying for: Galaxy Ethical Tech had successfully recovered *85,000 Bitcoin* of my lost funds. The remaining amount had been irretrievably laundered, but recovering the majority felt like a miracle.When the funds were securely returned to my wallet, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. Dr. Voss and her team didn’t just recover my Bitcoin—they restored my faith in the possibility of justice in the digital world. They also provided me with invaluable advice on how to protect my assets in the future, emphasizing the importance of due diligence and secure storage solutions.Galaxy Ethical Tech didn’t just save me from financial ruin; they gave me a second chance. Their commitment to ethical practices, combined with their unparalleled expertise, made them true heroes in my eyes. From that day forward, I became an advocate for their work, sharing my story as a cautionary tale and a testament to the power of technology used for good. Thanks to Galaxy Ethical Tech, what began as a nightmare ended with hope and a renewed sense of security. contact them via Email: galaxyethicaltech@mail.com Whatsapp: +15072712442 Telegram: Galaxy_ethical_tech

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C
CV 2 hours ago
Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

Yeah I know. Holland is from the area I live in. Him and his brother were at the rugby academy North West over here. You enter an academy here as soon as you go to high school (12) where you train 8 to 10 hours per week. They keep playing for their club on the weekends though, rugby is too small for club academies. Not enough players and money. Good thing is that you stay with your club so they don’t lose players. Top talent usually gets picked up by French clubs. The best of the rest go to the national training centre in Amsterdam where they have a professional set up.


Like everywhere in Europe, seasons run August to May and it’s all club driven. School sports don’t really exist like in NZ or the UK. Even the U7s and us oldies playing walking rugby play a full season. We just have more weeks off because of school holidays, or when the pitch is frozen. Like elsewhere in Europe, the league is a pyramid, so every club can make it to the top tier. Top clubs are semi-pro. Some clubs are part of the development programmes of French pro clubs, next to the six academies (for boys and girls) the union runs. It won’t surprise you that of the Dutch rep teams, about half of those groups play in France. It raised the bar. Players that don’t make it improve the level of the local league when they come back and the ones that do improve the national team. They beat Chile last November and are still in with a chance to make it to the WC in Australia. Women are in the WXV. Still tough because other REC countries, like Spain, Portugal and Belgium are getting better because they have similar setups as Holland does. Look up the REC game highlights on youtube, the level is pretty good.

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C
CV 3 hours ago
Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

These kids have been playing in leagues comparable to SR, not the NPC. The NPC is not even comparable to the ProD2. It’s too short, not as competitive and there are (usually) no test players in that comp. The Euro Cup is not a level up for top French sides and Leinster, it’s just a different comp. The SA sides that moved over to the URC all got eliminated from the Euro Cup by the way.


The evidence the NPC is not on par is in the U20 WC. SH sides haven’t won it since 2017. Our U20s got blown away by France when it mattered. Guys like Attisogbe, Gazzotti and Louis BB were in those sides. They were Top14 regulars at the time and are test players now. Many of the others play in the ProD2. In the Top 14 they play against teams that, looking at their roster, are test teams when at full strength. You don’t get that anywhere in NZ. Our players aren’t less talented, they just need to play at a level that really challenges them. The NPC is not it and SR is too short a comp.


Fin Smith is a world class 10 already and led Northampton to an English title at 21 and will get better. In Europe, in any sport, if you’re good enough, you play. Prendergast was a Leinster regular last year. Slowly took over from Byrne. He’s a test player and will be on the Lions tour this year.


NZ used to chuck talented youngsters in at the deep end in SR. Carter, McCaw and quite a few others from the 2011 and 2015 WC winning teams were in SR at 20, 21 and ABs a year later. I think we have talent but tough games where they are under some real pressure are few and far between.

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