Franco Smith hopes playing at Hampden will become an annual event after Glasgow defeated Edinburgh in the 1872 Cup first leg in front of almost 28,000 fans.
Warriors had chosen to switch the match from their 8,000-capacity Scotstoun home to attract a larger crowd and were rewarded for that risk by filling more than half of the national football stadium.
Smith praised Hampden as Glasgow ran in five tries in a one-sided encounter and felt it could become a fitting home for the fixture every Christmas.
The head coach said: ‘I would sincerely hope (it could become an annual event). I think it’s a special event. I hope the public experienced it the same way as we did.
‘It’s equal to every other quality stadium that we’ve been to. Obviously that goes without saying. The changing rooms and the environment were great and the pitch held up. I was concerned about maybe the scrums but it held up nicely.
‘It’s a big compliment to the commercial side the way this was set up. But to the people that followed us, the Warrior Nation specifically, I thought it was fantastic. They will not know how much this means to the team to represent that support.’
Franco Smith was impressed by Hampden as it hosted a rugby match instead of football
Glasgow Warriors turned on the style for their ‘home crowd’ with Dobie going over for a try
It was also a family affair with Mosese (left) and Sione Tuipulotu going up against each other
Smith, though, warned against taking too many matches to Hampden in case it devalued the experience.
‘I want to make sure that we don’t oversell this event,’ he added. ‘I think it’s special playing Edinburgh here for now but we want to make sure it’s a quality event every time. We do not want to get to a point where people get spoiled to come here and they don’t come.’
Sean Everitt also felt hosting the fixture at Hampden had worked well. The Edinburgh head coach said: ‘There’s a lot of work that probably went into today. And I think they were rewarded with a number of people that came out to support. It was a very hostile crowd. When you’re at Scotstoun, it seems a lot less hostile.
‘But I really enjoyed the venue. The changing facilities are world class. And I’m sure Glasgow would have enjoyed it too. Hopefully they can have more of these fixtures here in the future.’
Smith was frustrated at losing two late tries but was pleased with how his team performed for the most part in a thoroughly dominant performance.
‘The players are playing well,’ he added. ‘But we must keep on improving. I think the biggest thing for me is that we’re becoming more consistent. We adapted to the way Edinburgh defended. They’re a physical team and tried to disrupt us there.
‘Then obviously our ability to play with the ball in our hands is second to none. But our defence, to take their opportunities away, is probably the thing that stands out for me.’
The Warriors players’ reward will be getting to enjoy their Christmas dinner with their families.
‘I had already planned this week two months ago, regardless of the result,’ added Smith. ‘This week is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and spending time with your family. At the same time, it should give us energy and fuel so that we can fulfil our whole year’s fixtures with that enthusiasm and creativity that we need.’
Everitt was naturally disappointed with how his team played, especially the yellow cards shown to Pierre Schoeman and Marshall Sykes.
‘During the week we spoke about being disciplined and how important it was,’ he added. ‘And we certainly didn’t deliver in that department. Conceding 10 penalties and two yellow cards in the first 40 minutes, you’re never going to have a chance.’
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Glasgow head coach Franco Smith backs returning to Hampden for more rugby clashes after his side’s derby victory… but warns to keep the occasions ‘special’
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2024-12-22 23:41:10
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