It doesn't really go with the territory for rugby players to be entranced by baubles and bling, but Jack Cuthbert rather fancies the idea of getting his hands on the little silver pot that is the 1872 Cup.

After all, it's not as if he has had much need to fit any new shelves to his personal trophy cabinet over the past few years. It was as far back as 2008 that the strapping full-back last picked up a prize of any sort - the watch he was given for being part of Bath's wider squad (although not a member of the final-winning team) when the west country side beat Worcester Warriors 36-16 to lift that European Challenge Cup.

For the first hour of last year's inter-city derby at Murrayfield, Cuthbert and his Edinburgh team-mates were entitled to start thinking that their trophy drought was drawing to a close. Granted, it was only the first match of the two-leg affair, but the capital outfit turned form and expectations upside down with a bold display in which they hammered away at the Glasgow defence for those 60 minutes. Then, though, the men from the west pulled off a classic rope-a-dope manoeuvre, counter-punching with the late try by Stuart Hogg that gave them their 20-16 win.

A few months later - the following week's return match having been postponed due to a flooded pitch - Glasgow tied up the aggregate contest with a 37-34 win at Scotstoun. Yet it is the memory of that first game at Murrayfield that still festers for Cuthbert and his Edinburgh team-mates, a lingering sore that will only be dealt with if they can dish out some revenge in tomorrow's clash with their Scottish rivals at the same ground.

"We went pretty well and I think we were unlucky not to get the win," said Cuthbert. "I thought we played well for the best part of it. Glasgow got that quick try right at the end which turned everything, but we left a few tries out there.

"I thought we went pretty well and we were hard done by not to come away with the result. That's something that wears on my mind and is staying on my mind and the minds of a lot of the guys. We had a big opportunity that day and these are not the kind of things you want to let slip. We will all be remembering that come Friday."

Of course, a lot of water has flowed under the Forth Bridge since last season's Murrayfield match, and a number of Edinburgh players have moved on to new clubs. For Cuthbert, however, the more significant change is underfoot, as the national stadium's pitch was at its worm-infested worst a year ago. None of the Edinburgh players was exactly enthralled to be playing on a surface that had the consistency of thick custard, but Cuthbert reckons that especially hindered by its condition.

Hence his satisfaction with the new, hybrid pitch that was put down over summer. "When you are a 106/107kg full-back trying to run around where it is muddy and wet and horrible, it tends to have more of an effect than on someone who is a bit fleeter of foot," he explained. "For me, to run around on the pitch now is just great. It makes a big difference to the speed of ball and the type of rugby we are trying to play now.

"Last season we became so used to playing the kind of rugby you have to play on a pitch like that. We had a big kicking game, and defence was key. Physicality was important, but sometimes it's just nice to let the ball to the work and attack from wherever you feel you can.

"When a pitch is in the state that it was it really makes life more difficult, especially for someone like myself who is trying to look for opportunities to counter-attack. But it is in great nick now."

Given the kind of up-tempo game that Glasgow like to play, it might be thought that they would be more favoured by a fast track than Edinburgh. However, Cuthbert's side, facing a 10-point deficit after last weekend's 16-6 defeat at Scotstoun, have little option but to open things up a little, which has tended to be the pattern in the inter-city derby's second leg in years past anyway.

On top of which, Cuthbert is adamant that last Saturday's result flattered Glasgow, although he concedes that Edinburgh made life difficult for themselves by coughing up possession far too easily.

"From the team point of view, we made too many turnovers," said the 27-year-old. "We knew going into the game that Glasgow are a team who compete a lot at the breakdown, are very physical and make you work for everything.

"Giving the ball away really took our foot off the gas at times of the game when we really could have done with coming away with some points. Even getting into points territory is a bit of a struggle against a team which is such a good defensive outfit as Glasgow. Going into this week we will be focusing on ourselves and focusing on trying to keep the number of turnovers down."

So is he thinking of polishing rags and an open-topped bus just yet? "It's a difficult one," he replied. "What comes first will be winning the game for Edinburgh. But given the fact it's only a 10-point deficit, there will definitely be some added emotion behind bringing the cup home as well."