While most of the local focus will be on the four games in South Africa, the rescheduled Scottish derby is sure to attract a lot of attention, with both teams in playoff contention and the winner will take a giant leap towards hosting a home quarter-final.

Glasgow sit just above Edinburgh in fourth spot, with both sides on the same amount of points, with the Warriors having one more win than their Scottish rivals. 

And while the derby normally is around Christmas time, the rescheduled match is being keenly watched on the same weekend as the Six Nations reaches its climax.

Glasgow Warriors coach Danny Wilson believes this clash is as big as any Christmas derby and is excited about the prospect of getting one over their neighbours.

“The Christmas derbies are the ones we all get excited about, with the tradition of those games, the packed houses and the fact you have all your big guns available,” Wilson told media this week.

“This one is a little bit different, obviously, because it clashes with a Six Nations match - but it’s no different for whoever puts on the jersey. 

“The 1872 Cup starts with this game and finishes with the last game of the season. It was with Edinburgh for three years and last season we managed to wrestle it back off them and now we want to keep it. The start of that is this game. 

“The derby takes care of itself in terms of motivation. They’re the biggest games of the season and they’re also still Scottish trials in many ways, even though a lot of Scotland players are missing. I still think it’s an exciting opportunity for players to put their hands up and be seen and noticed at this kind of level, because the derby has an intensity which makes it the nearest thing to an international.”

While Wilson admits the timing “isn’t great” because of the lack of internationals in both teams, it is still a challenge that must be met.

“Being rearranged for this time of year isn’t great, if we’re being honest," he said.

"Both teams will be reliant on who Scotland select or take as travelling reserves - that’s the challenge we knew would be in place once this fixture was arranged for this period.

“Now it’s about getting excited and motivated about a home derby which, as I said to the boys, is the biggest home game of the year. We’re excited about it.”

“They're playing some really good rugby at the moment and scoring a lot of good tries. If you look at their evolution, over the last few years they’ve had a real backbone defensively and at the set piece. Now, on top of that, they are playing a brand of rugby with some really good individuals and have some good foreign signings who are playing well for them.”

Edinburgh coach Mike Blair feels the game is another chance for players to prove themselves ahead of the return of the Scottish players next week.

“You can look at these situations in different ways - you can moan and complain about things being unfair," he said.

"But I love it.

"I love the fact we’ve talked about giving players opportunities. I love the fact they’re going to have the chance to play in these big games and show what they can do. I want them coming moaning to me and saying: ‘Remember how well I played there - why are you picking Hamish Watson or Pierre Schoeman in front of me?’ It’s crucial for the club’s long-term development that these guys get games.”  

Meanwhile Ulster’s win on the weekend over Leinster has given them renewed confidence for the rest of the Vodacom URC, especially as it is the first time since 2014/15 that a side recorded home and away wins against Leinster.

“Obviously the big one was winning away in Dublin and that was the game we played really well in,” Ulster coach Dan McFarland said after the game.

“We didn’t play very well but we ground out the win and I think the guys should take a lot of confidence from that and be proud of that achievement.”

The men from Dublin still sit top of the table with Ulster just behind them, but despite the loss coach Leo Cullen said it had energised his squad to the extent that when the internationals return, Leinster were confident in finishing the season on a high.

“It’s energised the group, they’ve worked hard whenever we’ve had such a thin squad," said Cullen after the defeat.

"In fact, it was a bit funny arriving at the stadium and watching so many of our boys playing (for Ireland against England) on the big screen!

“That’s the unusual part of the season, obviously made tougher by all these games being rescheduled because of what happened around Christmas. It is what it is, we knew whatever happened we’d have to battle away through this period and they’ve done a really good job. It’s about dusting ourselves off and keeping it going into the league run-in and the play-off games we’ve got coming up.

“It brings to an end this block of five games and it’s been a great experience for a number of these players, so we’ll take the positives out of the run overall and look forward to having no game day next week, then getting all the international guys back and we can have a strong finish to the season.

“That’s what it’s all about, trying to gear yourself up for the challenges ahead. The guys have battled for every point they can over the last five weekends and they’ve done a good job. Just onto the next challenge.”