Edinburgh will attempt to become the first Scottish club to win a major European rugby union trophy when they face Gloucester in the Challenge Cup final in London on Friday.
No Scottish club has ever before reached the final of the European Cup (now the Champions Cup) or the second-tier Challenge Cup, so Edinburgh have already broken new ground by qualifying for the showpiece match against English Premiership side Gloucester at Harlequins’ Twickenham Stoop ground.
Edinburgh thrashed Welsh regional side Newport Gwent Dragons 45-16 in the semi-final and Edinburgh prop Alasdair Dickinson was in no doubt about the importance of what lay ahead for the Scottish capital club.
“It’s up there with probably one of the most exciting games I’ve played in,” said Dickinson.
“It’s massive for the club and us as a group of boys,” the 44-times capped Scotland front row forward added.
Dickinson returned to Edinburgh two seasons ago after spending several campaigns at Gloucester, joining the west country club shortly after they won the Challenge Cup in 2007 by beating Premiership rivals London Irish.
“We know what lies ahead of us, it’s a massive test, obviously Gloucester are on form as well so it’s going to be a challenge,” said Dickinson, whose side warmed up for the final with a 37-0 rout of Italian club Zebre that left them seventh in the 12-strong Celtic League.
“I think from what the season’s been like, I don’t think anybody really expected us to get here at the start of the year. It’s a huge game.”
Both sides will have an insight into their opponents given Edinburgh coach Alan Solomons and Gloucester boss David Humphreys worked together as captain and coach at Irish province Ulster in the 2001/02 season.
This campaign has been former Ireland outside-half Humphreys’s first season as rugby director at Gloucester, where the Australian Laurie Fisher is now the head coach.
– ‘Huge bonus’ –
The Cherry and Whites are a lowly ninth in the 12-team Premiership and well adrift in the race for a play-off place, with a raft of international pre-season signings including James Hook, Greig Laidlaw, Richard Hibbard and John Afoa all yet to bed down fully at Kingsholm.
However, Gloucester and England centre Billy Twelvetrees said the European Challenge Cup final offered his side the prospect of a “huge bonus” at the end of the season.
“To be involved in a European final is massive for a group of players that has just come together and to lift silverware individually is big for us,” said Twelvetrees, whose side beat west country rivals Exeter 30-19 in the semi-final.
The former Leicester midfielder said he hoped his team-mates’ experience of big matches would come into play on Friday after they scraped past Newcastle 42-40 in the Premiership last weekend.
“John Afoa is a World Cup-winner, Greig Laidlaw is Scotland captain, James Hook has 77 caps, Richard Hibbard is a Test (British and Irish) Lion,” Twelvetrees said.
“These big games are where players have to stand up, and it’s where you want to stand up and be counted.”
If Gloucester lift the Challenge Cup trophy, they will go into a play-off against a Celtic League side next month, with the winners of that game facing the seventh-placed French Top 14 club for a spot in next season’s European Champions Cup.