'I prefer toxic' - Why Hampden doesn't cut it for Scotland star
Winger relishes return to Murrayfield - and hopes to see more of the ball
Hampden was a heartache for Darcy Graham last weekend and the Edinburgh winger is hoping for a better outcome at Murrayfield in the second leg of the 1872 Cup.
Everyone enjoys home comforts at this time of year and Graham is no different. He’s expecting a crowd close to 40,000 on Saturday and anticipates a better atmosphere than he experienced at the national football stadium.
It wasn’t just the fact that the capital side went down 24-12 to Glasgow Warriors in the first leg, or that Graham was starved of the ball for most of the game, he just didn’t take to Hampden which was less than half-full for the first installment of the festive double-header.
“The pitch was actually alright but there just wasn’t much atmosphere,” said the winger. “I probably prefer playing at Scotstoun. I enjoy the toxic atmosphere and going away to those grounds when your backs are against the wall.
Chirpy Sione always has the last word
“There isn’t a huge amount of atmosphere [at Hampden]. The Glasgow boys say they enjoy it but I don’t really think they do. Scotstoun is definitely a harder place to go. The fans are closer, you can hear them chirping away at you and the atmosphere is better. It will be better this weekend as there will be a bigger crowd and I love playing at Murrayfield.”
There will be plenty of chat on the pitch, too, and, according to Graham, Glasgow centre Sione Tuipulotu is particularly vocal.
“Sione is so good, he knows what he is doing,” said Graham. “If you start with him then he will make sure to finish it and get the last chirp in. I always stay quiet, keep my head in and keep working until the end of the game.”
Graham admits he finds these inter-city derby games a bit strange. Players he’s played alongside for years in the dark blue of Scotland suddenly become rivals. “They’re odd games,” he said. “I think I probably enjoyed them more when I didn’t play international rugby - there was a bit more dog in it than playing with your brothers.”
Two wins from six in the URC
As ever in these derbies, the goals are two-fold. The 1872 Cup is up for grabs and it will take a mighty effort from Edinburgh to overcome the 12-point deficit and win the trophy on aggregate. Their more immediate need is league points. The fixtures double up as United Rugby Championship games and having left Hampden empty-handed, Edinburgh need a win to lift them up the table. They have posted just two victories from six matches in the URC this season and are lagging in 11th spot, seven places below Glasgow, albeit with a game in hand.
This time last year Edinburgh bounced back from a first leg defeat to beat Glasgow 10-7 in front of 40,063 supporters at Murrayfield, a record attendance for club rugby in Scotland. It wasn’t enough to prise the 1872 Cup from Warriors hands but it did secure four precious league points.
A similar outcome wouldn’t be the worst outcome for Edinburgh but they will need to show more attacking intent than they did at Hampden where Graham, fellow wing Duhan van der Merwe and full-back Wes Goosen were isolated figures, in part due to Glasgow’s ability to cut off the supply of ball. Graham, who said it was “hugely frustrating”, had to wait until the 57th minute for his first touch.
“I think me, Duhi and Wes are feeling the same frustration,” he said. “It’s just the lack of opportunity, lack of ball we’re getting. It’s just what we’re doing in the first two or three phases which is letting us down.
“We speak about it and it’s kind of like Glasgow did well to slow us down over those first two breakdowns, and then that stops us moving the ball wide. We spoke about that, and we’ll try and get that nailed on this weekend. It should be much easier for us to get into phase play. I think we only got past three, four phases maybe once or twice. So we need to build phases to get me and Duhi into the game.
“We’re always speaking about how we can get our back three into the game. It’s always a work-on for us, because other teams know our strengths. If I was playing Edinburgh, I’d be, like, ‘Let’s not give these boys the ball’. The way Glasgow kicked to us - they don’t kick long so we don’t get that counter-attack opportunity.”
Not fun for wingers
Edinburgh boast two of the world’s best wingers in Graham and van der Merwe but the attritional nature of the derbies tends not to suit the widemen, with the Hampden game a prime example.
“They’re not fun to play in as wingers,” reflected Graham. “I think my first touch of the ball was after 57 minutes. I was hugely frustrated, because I do like getting on the ball early. The earlier I get on the ball in the game, the confidence builds in me.
“Same with Duhan. I know if it takes half an hour for us to get the first touch, 40 minutes, 50 minutes, we do just kind of end up hiding away. So it’s about trying to get in the game as early as possible.”
Graham is also aware of the cost of tickets on top of all the other expenditure at this time of year and he would love to put on a show for what he expects will be another bumper crowd.
“Hopefully we can get it back up to that 40,000 mark. I don’t know how far away we are but we are over that 30,000 mark. It’s always a great atmosphere at Murrayfield. The fans are a lot closer than at Hampden and hopefully we can get to 40,000. But it’s obviously tough times at the moment with Christmas and money. We need to put on a show for the fans who come and we need to step up for the fans. It’s bloody not cheap nowadays and the boys know that. We really appreciate the fans coming out.”
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