Against all the odds, Edinburgh men shrug off woes for a victory
ZEBRE 10 EDINBURGH 26
Edinburgh had to overcome major disruptions – some unfortunate, others selfinflicted – to claim an important away win.
This was a re-arranged PRO14 fixture taking place on what was meant to be a weekend of European rugby, and Edinburgh’s preparations were thrown into disarray when coach Richard Cockerill, full-back Blair Kinghorn and a team physio were unable to travel to Parma due to a delay in Covid test results that later proved negative.
And they found themselves down to just 13 men late in the second half when, with prop WP Nel already in the sinbin, George Taylor was redcarded for a high tackle.
Defence coach Calum Macrae took the reins, and said: “I’m proud of the effort and resilience the boys showed.
“Obviously in the second half there were some pinch points when both teams were tussling for ascendency. But when we really needed to dig in, we did.
“It obviously wasn’t an ideal prep coming into the game but they got their heads down and stuck to the task.
“We took all the air out the game in the last 20 minutes when we needed to, particularly when we had the comprised situation. Have I got any complaints about the red card? Not really.”
Jack Blain swapped the No.14 jersey for the 15 shirt and Jamie Farndale – not part of the original squad – was drafted in on the wing.
Zebre, on a three-game winning run, could have been expected to bombard the inexperienced, out-ofposition Blain with high balls but just didn’t have the possession to do so.
Despite dominating territory and possession in the first half, Edinburgh did little, turnovers and errors relieving the pressure they built on their hosts.
A couple of daft penalties in quick succession allowed Carlo Canna to draw Zebre level at the second attempt after Jaco van der Walt had opened the scoring with an early penalty.
Edinburgh finally took control of the scoreboard as
well as the game just before half-time when Mark Bennett kicked upfield from his own 22, then took Farndale’s perfect pop pass off the deck to swoop under the posts for the first try.
Van der Walt converted but the scores were levelled almost immediately upon resumption, Edinburgh seemingly asleep as the ball was mauled over their line, Mick Kearney claiming the try and Canna adding the extras.
However, the capital club quickly woke from their slumbers and a pair of Van der Walt penalties nudged them ahead again.
Zebre then enjoyed their best spell, showing both good handling and power, and Nel copped a yellow for the latest in a series of infringements as Edinbutgh struggled to keep the Italians out.
They were putting in big defensive hits to keep Zebre at bay and a red card was inevitable for replacement Taylor as soon as his shoulder connected with Rizzi’s head.
They didn’t buckle, though, and two Van der Walt penalties pushed them more than a converted score ahead, Farndale’s interception try adding a late gloss to the scoreline.