Dan scored an impressive try for Glasgow Warriors

Victories over Narbonne in the European Challenge Cup, the competition they fell into after a poor last season, has provided a new confidence for Sean Lineen's side and they finished this sixth home win on the trot with the swagger of a team intent on seriously challenging Edinburgh's pre-eminence as Scotland's top side.

They essentially beat Edinburgh at their own game, moving the ball well from wing to wing, keeping the ball moving out of contact and showing a clinical ability to finish which has been lacking from Scottish sides this season.

Despite the dank conditions around Glasgow, and the week's rain, the pitch was firm and given to more fluid rugby than one imagined would be the case earlier in the week. So, it was perhaps no surprise when Edinburgh launched their renowned wide attack in the opening minutes.

They failed to exploit good sweeping runs on the counter-attack when both Chris Paterson and Mike Blair made great intrusions but failed to find Hugo Southwell on the right touchline. Paterson still claimed the opening points with a fifth-minute penalty, but Thom Evans then awoke Edinburgh to his stunning talent by slicing through the Edinburgh defence, and though caught by Blair, no mean feat, Dan Parks took possession from the ruck and dropped a cute goal to level the scores.

A minute later a great dummy show of the ball by Dave Callam, one of Edinburgh's best performers, fooled the home defence and the Edinburgh No8 was only denied a score by a great last-ditch tackle from Hefin O'Hare. However, the first try came 11 minutes in.

Scott Murray and Alastair Kellock were enjoying a rare battle in the lineout, not stealing much opposition ball but disrupting plenty, and when Graeme Beveridge, the Glasgow scrum-half, cleared one loose ball upfield, Ben Cairns, the Edinburgh wing, swept on to the counter-attack. He neatly chipped and caught the ball, found Marcus Di Rollo and the centre sent Southwell diving over the line, Paterson converting. This opening spell set a great tone for the match, players moving on to the ball at pace, attacking space and dummying. The battle of the Scotland locks was mirrored in hookers Scott Lawson and Dougie Hall, and the back row, where Alasdair Strokosch, Ross Rennie and Callam took on the even younger duo of John Barclay and James Eddie and experienced Jon Petrie. Lawson won the man-of-the-match award and it was the home trio who gained the upper hand as the match wore on.

Similarly, Mike Blair had a great fight with Beveridge, making his 150th appearance, and Parks and Phil Godman revelled in facing their main rival for the Scotland jersey, but while the scrum-halves were evenly-matched, Parks took the honours at stand-off.

Into the second quarter, Parks and Paterson swapped penalties and Parks hit the target again after Edinburgh were adjudged to have brought down a scrum. In truth, these were two well-matched sides with little between them last night, until the 39th minute, when Edinburgh were reduced to 14 men, Cairns being yellow-carded for deliberately knocking-on when he broke up a dangerous counter-attack by Glasgow.

The hosts immediately took advantage with a sweeping attack, although they made hard work of it when O'Hare ignored a four-man overlap on the right to go for the posts. The ball came back right and Parks, on his knees, just managed to fall over the line when the ball came back right, but he could not convert and the teams headed into the break with Glasgow holding a slender 14-13 advantage.

The interval did nothing to dampen the spirits, however, as the sparkling continuity and width, with great efforts to keep the ball alive, continued from the first whistle. Glasgow were first to take advantage, Parks slotting another penalty, made easier by indiscipline in the form of a push by Rennie.

Buoyed, Glasgow pressed the foot to the pedal and flew at their scrambling visitors. Edinburgh could not get a hand in to slow the momentum and paid the price when an attack whizzed right and then back left, Parks at its epicentre, and ended with Dan Turner diving over the line. Parks further lifted the home support, and opened up an 11-point lead, with the touchline conversion. With their front row slipping in the set-piece battle and the defence beginning to creak, Edinburgh's grip in the game was sliding. Parks spotted an opportunity as the Edinburgh pack were driven back in a maul, and slotted a drop-goal, and the hosts started to swagger.

The icing on the cake came in the 61st minute and left Paterson, the Scotland captain, holding his head in his hands. The skipper was clearly desperate to fire up his team, driving into a ruck minutes before he took a quick tap-penalty and fired a pass along his 22. It was gleefully picked up by Andy Henderson, the Glasgow centre, who raced to the posts, Parks converting to put the seal on a stirring victory.

Edinburgh responded with two tries by Marcus Di Rollo, converted by Paterson, the latter coming five minutes into injury-time. It was not enough to spoil Glasgow's celebrations, but Paterson's conversion did at least grab a bonus point.

Report from The Scotsman