Kebble calls on Warrior Nation to turn BT Murrayfield into ‘home’ tie

• 13 May 2022

As far as derby matches go, next weekend’s 1872 Cup decider is right up there with the biggest in the professional history of Glasgow Warriors.

With the trophy, the United Rugby Championship’s Scottish-Italian Shield and qualification for next season’s Heineken Champions Cup all on the line at BT Murrayfield, the stage could not be more clearly set for a monumental showdown at the home of Scottish rugby.

Right, Warrior Nation.

We haven’t had a home game in six weeks.

Let’s turn BT Murrayfield into ‘Scotstoun East’ and show them how it’s done?

?️ https://t.co/Jk0iHDECOc https://t.co/rHUxcMJG2x
— Glasgow Warriors (@GlasgowWarriors) May 10, 2022

Yet for Oli Kebble, the match needs no more hype than the bare minimum. A clash with the club’s oldest rivals? That’s all the fuel necessary for the prop and his team-mates.

“It’s not a difficult game to motivate yourself for!” said the Scotland prop.

“Even training in the week leading up to the game has that added edge, because everyone wants to both put their hand up for selection, but also make sure that the 23 players selected are on their best possible form come kick-off.

“It’s an intense week of build-up and it’s a brilliant occasion to be a part of – I’ve been lucky to play in a few of the derbies now and every time they’re just incredible physical battles. I can’t wait.”

After exiting the EPCR Challenge Cup last time out in Lyon, a couple of days of recovery preceded the return of the Warriors to Scotstoun, as training ratcheted up yet another notch ahead of the showdown in Edinburgh next Saturday.

With Kebble and company holding a 30-17 advantage after claiming victory at Scotstoun back in March, the prop knows that victory is non-negotiable for Danny Wilson’s men.

“The boys have come back in with a real determination,” said Kebble.

“There was obviously the initial disappointment over the result in Lyon, because we know that it was a game that we could and arguably should have won. We came in and put that match to bed early in the week, though, and everyone’s excited to get back out there and get stuck into the 1872 Cup decider.

“It isn’t officially a knockout game, but it’s up there with the biggest games of the season for us. We want to retain that trophy.”

Indeed, it’s not just the playing group that are up for the test; with the Warrior Nation set to descend on BT Murrayfield in their thousands, bringing the Scotstoun atmosphere to Scotland’s largest stadium is something that Kebble believes can tip the balance in Glasgow’s favour.

“The boys have heard that our supporters have been buying a lot of the tickets available for the match, and that gives us a massive buzz,” he said.

“Knowing that we can turn Murrayfield into an atmosphere like a home game for us, that’s massive. Our supporters are and have always been brilliant for us – even in places like Lyon, which might not be the easiest places to get to, the fans turn out in numbers and you can hear them making the noise in the stands.

“I’ve never travelled as a Warrior and not heard our fans getting behind us, so I know they’ll create an unbelievable atmosphere next weekend.

“For all that’s riding on this game, it all boils down to the fact that we need to win the match. That’s the single most important thing to us – everything else will take care of itself if we rock up and do the job that we know we’re capable of doing next Saturday night.”