Edinburgh v Bath: ‘Grant Gilchrist leads strange welcoming committee for Finn Russell’

A few weeks back, a Sharks squad containing 10 World Cup winners and six double World Cup winners came to Edinburgh and tried to “bully us”, as Gilchrist puts it.

The Sharks won late, late in the day, but it was a battle and Edinburgh went toe-to-toe in the physical stakes.

Finding that consistency has been their issue for years. “We’ve spoken about that being a kind of DNA moment,” he says of recent performances against South African packs.

“That’s got to be every week. That can’t just be when a big South African team comes here to bash you, or when a big English team like this weekend comes to bash you.”

Bath can scrap, but they would rather out-play you with their pace and vision, with Russell pulling all the strings.

In 16 games in three different competitions this season, they’ve hit the 40-point mark. They put more than 50 on Newcastle Falcons and Gloucester – and more than 60 on Gloucester and Saracens.

Gilchrist knows what is coming if Edinburgh allow them to play.

“We’re gonna have to defend unbelievably well,” he said. “We’re gonna have to be as connected as we’ve been. Our first-phase defence is gonna have to stop them on the gainline.

“I’ve seen teams trying to go after Finn, focusing on him and trying to smash him, but he’s too good a player for that. His passing game is too good.

“So, in the physical exchanges, when they carry, it has to be off slow ball. If it’s quick ball or if we are on the back foot then we know that Finn is a master.”