IT could obviously never be considered to have been a favourable development but as Edinburgh consider how to go about regaining the 1872 Challenge Cup they may feel they picked up valuable lessons on what they need to do against their Inter-City rivals along with their surprise win in last weekend’s opening match.

The teams for the second of the festive derbies are set to be named today and Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill’s principal task is to work out how to re-shuffle his front-row with the suspension of prop Simon Berghan as a result of the red card against Warriors last weekend.

The way Cockerill has managed his resources in recent weeks was reflected not only in the energy levels of the 14 men left on the field to the end of a match in which they stole victory in its final play, but in how they were able to return to work a day ahead of opponents who looked jaded on Saturday.

Much as those in both camps would prefer to have been in Glasgow’s position when competing in the European Champions Cup rather than the much less intense Challenge Cup over the previous few weeks, Edinburgh’s players clearly benefitted in terms of freshness and confidence from running in a barrow-load of tries against moderate opposition in London Irish and Russia’s Krasny Yar, while their rivals were been confronting some of Europe’s toughest teams.

However, had they kept 15 men on the pitch they might have been tempted to take Glasgow on at the game they prefer to play and they had already been exposed to the dangers of doing so when Tommy Seymour cut through their defence in Glasgow’s first attack and put Huw Jones in for the easiest of opening scores.

Much of the talk ahead of the match had been of Edinburgh’s increased ambition under this season’s new regime but, on a Murrayfield pitch that most of the Glasgow backs had revelled in playing on during the autumn Tests, they would probably have played into the visitors’ hands had they engaged in a more open game.

Instead, they were forced by circumstance to revert to a more limited style of play which had brought them four wins in the previous five derby matches by deploying coach Alan Solomons’ more direct methods.

The reason for resorting to such tactics may have been different, but the way they mauled themselves back into the match and then on to victory was reminiscent of the methods deployed by Exeter Chiefs and Leinster in Glasgow’s first two European matches this season.

It is a disturbing statistic for the Scotstoun side that they have led in all their four Champions Cup ties, only for their opponents to revert to a power game and bully their way to victory. That they let a winning positions slip again at Murrayfield, having taken an 11-point cushion into the final quarter, is the latest indicator of frailty.

As much as he has expressed a desire to bring a more ambitious approach to the way Edinburgh play – with 35 tries in four European ties providing evidence they are on the right track – Cockerill is a man versed in the philosophies of Leicester Tigers, the most pragmatic club in British rugby, and would be entitled to conclude a more limited approach may be what is needed to end 2017 with a trophy.

They will need to keep developing a range of options if they are to carry the momentum of the European Challenge Cup all the way to lifting the trophy and to finding a way to close the gap on the top three in their Pro14 Conference and so reach the quarter-finals and join Glasgow in next season’s Champions Cup.

It may be the best way to beat Glasgow again will be to take the game to them in a different way, particularly given the apparent advantage Edinburgh seem to possess in terms of energy.

Whatever the approach, five wins in the last six derbies suggest the visitors to Scotstoun have the upper hand and the pressure is on Glasgow.