GLASGOW head coach Franco Smith made no apologies for the fact his side’s 24-12 derby victory over Edinburgh at Hampden was not illuminated by swashbuckling rugby.

The first leg of the 1872 Cup descended into “an arm-wrestle,” according to the South African, with all six tries scored from close range by forwards.

Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Gregor Hiddleston and sub Seb Stephen notched for Glasgow, with Dylan Richardson and Grant Gilchrist replying for the visitors.

“It was a spectacle anyway,” Smith said of a match watched by a crowd of 21,093 at Scotland’s national football stadium. “You can’t guarantee tries.

“People come to football games and see maybe two goals, that’s the way it goes. We wanted to win, we wanted to grind it out. It’s like Test cricket and 20/20 cricket, there’s a completely different story.

“It’s a derby, there’s more to playing this game than there is to us playing any other team. There’s a little bit of trials in front of Scotland coaches, it’s an arm-wrestle that’s different, and it influences decision-making: do I pass the ball, do I keep it, do I kick it?

“I think that’s one area where Scottish players can improve: not being fazed by the grandeur of the games and the occasions. Just focus on playing the game, and don’t get fazed by anything else.”