Ice-cool Edinburgh put the heat on Exiles

SUB-ZERO temperatures meant a late change in venues for this clash – and the grandeur of the new venue was matched by the scoring.

Edinburgh’s usual home of Myreside was deemed unplayable so BT Murrayfield, with its state-of-the-art undersoil heating,was used.

The change in locations, however, did little to slow the competition’s leading points (115) and try (15) scorers as the hosts comfortably managed to extend their unbeaten European home record to 11 games.

Tries from Stuart McInally, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Darcy Graham, Blair Kinghorn, Junior Rasolea, Sean Kennedy and a double from Phil Burleigh, Jaco van der Walt adding three conversions, Kinghorn two, sealed the win and complete control of pool 4.

A penalty from Tommy Bell plus scores from Ben Ransom, Mike Coman and Ben Meehan, one converted by former Edinburgh fullback, Greig Tonks, were all a weakened Irish outfit could munster in reply.

London Irish had started the contest showing real intent, controlling the early exchanges with a bullying technique that seemed to stun the hosts.

Bell slotted a simple penalty after Edinburgh were caught on the wrong side of a ruck but that lead would last all of two minutes, Edinburgh hooker McInally dotting down from close range after a strong run from Sam HidalgoClyne.

Van der Walt would miss the conversion but the South African would make amends eight minutes later when Kinghorn dashed over after collecting a high ball and launching a kickchase that he would claim and finish expertly in the corner.

That second Edinburgh score came while down to 14 men following Rory Sutherland being sent to the sin bin for repeated scrum collapses.

The double-try bliz seemed to knock all of the early promise Irish had shown out of them. Ransom

did provide the Exiles with a glimmer of hope, Tonks converting, but the hosts shifted gears and turned on the class.

A brace of scores from Burleigh, both converted by Van der Walt, followed to make it 26-10 at the interval with Hidalgo-Clyne, Graham, Rasolea and Kennedy finishing off the job for the home side after the break.

Kinghorn converted two of them.

Former Edinburgh backrower, Coman and Meehan, dotted down for Irish consolations, who also had to deal with a Tonk sin-binning following a high tackle.