Edinburgh turn attention to Glasgow ‘cup final’ after Challenge Cup exit

Both Scottish clubs took their leave of Europe over the weekend, undone in the final minutes of matches they could and perhaps should have won.

Glasgow Warriors led 27-18 going into the final quarter in Lyon before succumbing in now familiar fashion, losing 35-27.

For Edinburgh, it was even more agonising. A 74th-minute penalty from Emiliano Boffelli had them 30-27 in front until Alfie Barbeary’s late converted try turned the tie in Wasps’ favour 34-30.

Having impressed in seeing off Newcastle and Bath respectively in the Challenge Cup last 16, the quarter-finals proved a step too far for our pro teams, with hopes of an all-Scottish semi-final consigned to the dustbin.

Adam McBurney, the Edinburgh hooker, dismissed suggestions that his side had been outpowered but Wasps punished their hosts in the scrum in the first half and held the upper hand at the breakdown, forcing Edinburgh into conceding a slew of penalties.

“I wouldn’t say we were outpowered at all,” said McBurney. “We gave everything we had as a group and we pride ourselves on our physicality.

“There were a couple of moments which we let by us - that’s rugby. But as a group we need to learn from those and be a bit more clinical. In terms of being outpowered I didn’t see that at all.”

Edinburgh and Glasgow now have a free weekend before they face each other in the mother of all derbies at BT Murrayfield on May 21.

It’s the final match of the regular United Rugby Championship season and, with both teams having already guaranteed their play-off places, this will determine final standings and who they will meet in the last eight. The losers will go to Dublin to play Leinster while the winners will face an away tie in Ireland or South Africa, opponents to be