It was second half substitutions that made the difference in the end. Glasgow & The West head coach Kenny Diffenthal brought on halfback partners Andrew Goudie and Robbie Baird, as well as prop Alex Apthorpe, which had almost immediate effect as Apthorpe and Baird both scored decisive tries.

Caledonia Reds head coach Colin Sangster gave credit to a strong Glasgow side and acknowledged his side made too many errors.

“We’re obviously disappointed at the result but we can’t fault the players effort and commitment. When you consider where some of the boys play their club rugby, I thought they all absolutely stepped up to the challenge and gave it everything,” he said.

“Ultimately, we made too many unforced errors and there were four scoring opportunities that we had in the opposition 22 that we failed to convert and that has cost us.

“Credit to Glasgow, I thought they looked very well prepared, defended very well and took their chances. Next week’s game is now clearly massive for both Edinburgh and ourselves to stay alive in the Championship.”

And, in an even tighter match in Musselburgh, The South defeated Edinburgh 27-24 in a result that sees Glasgow & The West atop the table after round one.

Losing side Edinburgh scored four tries to gain a bonus point, seeing them end the round in third place, above Caledonia Reds.

The South had their backs against the wall and had to turn around an 18-point half time deficit to sneak past Edinburgh.

The result was in doubt until the final whistle as the lead only changed in the last 10 minutes. The South’s Callum Anderson scored, and Kirk Ford’s conversion completed the scoring.

Looking ahead, the IDC round two will be played on Saturday 30 March.

IDC ROUND TWO:
Edinburgh v Caledonia Reds – Raeburn Place, Edinburgh (kick off 3pm)

The South v Glasgow & The West – Poynder Park, Kelso (kick off 3pm)