Pro14: What's at stake for Edinburgh and Glasgow as league returns?

Edinburgh beat Glasgow 29-19 when the sides met at Murrayfield in late December

Nearly six months since the Covid-19 pandemic took a sledgehammer to the rugby season, Edinburgh and Glasgow resume their Pro14 campaigns on Saturday.

The first of back-to-back Murrayfield derbies brings to an end a 176-day wait for the clubs to taste competitive action.

Richard Cockerill's Edinburgh are chasing a maiden league title - will they emerge refreshed from the break, or will such a long hiatus check their momentum?

Glasgow have a new coach in Danny Wilson but, after a fluctuating season, will find it virtually impossible to reach the semi-finals.

These are grudge matches and the first opportunities for bruising, bone-on-bone warfare, with knockout berths, pride and possibly international places on the line.

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How will the season finish?

Each Pro14 team plays two fixtures against a local rival to complete the regular season. The top two sides in Conferences A and B will contest the semi-finals, with each conference winner enjoying home advantage, before the final is played on 12 September.

Due to the continued severity of the pandemic in South Africa, neither the Cheetahs nor Southern Kings will feature in the final rounds.

The quarter-final stage has also been discarded to bring the competition to a speedier finale.

Both Scottish derbies will be staged at Murrayfield because of Covid-19 restrictions.

What's at stake?

Edinburgh are gunning for a second play-off appearance in three seasons under Cockerill. They had never made the knockout rounds of the league before the Englishman took charge in 2017.

They are aiming to wrap up a home semi-final for the first time by holding their position at the Conference B summit, where they are currently two points clear of Munster.

In Conference A, Glasgow need a minor miracle to reach the last four. Warriors require maximum points from the two derbies, and Ulster to take nothing from their games against Connacht and Leinster to overtake them in second.

So what has changed during 'lockdown'?

Darcy Graham is fit again and will provide speed in attack for Edinburgh

In Edinburgh's case, not a great deal. Their pack is mighty and has been bolstered further by a sprinkling of new additions and academy graduates. Scotland winger Darcy Graham has also recovered from a knee injury that kept him out of the Six Nations.

Cockerill has kept the vast majority of the squad that started the season, but centre Matt Scott, who has joined Leicester Tigers, will be a big loss.

They are light at fly-half too, with Simon Hickey returning to his native New Zealand, leaving Scotland Under-20 pivot Nathan Chamberlain the only cover for Jaco van der Walt.

By contrast, this has been a summer of upheaval at Scotstoun. Wilson has replaced Dave Rennie as head coach, appointing two new assistants, and aims to add more defensive grit and set-piece solidity to Glasgow's searing attack.

Scottish Rugby's recruitment freeze has denied him the opportunity to sign the full-back Warriors desperately need, but bringing back British and Irish Lion Richie Gray and re-signing Fijian fulcrum Leone Nakarawa are important pieces of business.

What about Scotland?

These inter-city clashes tend to be ferociously contested. Glasgow won by four points in late December; Edinburgh took the return fixture by 10.

The enmity stems from pitting Scotland rivals against each other. With Gregor Townsend's men set to conclude their Six Nations campaign against Wales on 31 October before entering a new eight-team tournament, these fixtures could have big implications for selection.

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