Edinburgh shrug off their slow start and blow Bayonne away
EDINBURGH 33 BAYONNE 15
EDINBURGH made heavy weather at first of a Challenge Cup last-16 tie that was moved from the Hive to the national stadium because of Storm Kathleen.
However, a much-improved performance after the break saw the capital club safely through to next weekend’s quarter-finals, where they will meet the winners of today’s game between the Sharks – who beat them in the URC recently – and Zebre.
That wind had actually died down a lot by the 8pm kick-off, but the move still made sense as the Hive is a lot more open to the elements. Edinburgh had it at their backs in the first half, but that did not stop Bayonne from playing some entertaining attacking rugby.
After a couple of half-breaks, Edinburgh created the first real opening after five minutes from a Ben Healy punt towards the left corner, but the lurking Jamie Ritchie was unable to gather correctly.
Bayonne had rested some leading internationals, but their less-experienced replacements were clearly up for the fight, and began to put together some promising attacks.
In the end, after both teams had tested the opposing defences with some backs moves, the opening score came about through a more simple route. A Bayonne scrum five metres from the home line produced clean ball, and a few phases later, stand-off Tom Spring finished off before adding the conversion.
Edinburgh needed to find a foothold in the game, and they got it after Healy kicked a penalty to the corner. The maul from the lineout drove over and, after a TMO review, the try was awarded, with Hamish Watson the scorer.
Healy missed the conversion attempt, and with no further score in the first half, the teams went in at the break with Bayonne 7-5 ahead.
Edinburgh needed something to spark their game into life – and they found it a couple of minutes into the second half. Nothing looked on when Matt Currie got the ball in midfield, but the centre shrugged off a tackle and then burst through the middle of the two remaining defenders to touch down close to the posts and put his team ahead for the first time in the match.
Healy’s conversion made it 12-7, but minutes later that lead was cut to two points when Bayonne won a scrum penalty inside the home 22 and Spring made no mistake with the kick.
The stand-off was not finished there either. A few minutes later, winger Nadir Megdoud broke free of a tackle, and Spring was up there in support to take the pass and race to the line despite the efforts of Wes Goosen and Jake Henry to bring him down. Spring failed to add the two points, so the score stayed at 12-15.
Or at least, it did until Ben Vellacott intervened. The scrumhalf jinked his way over off the back of a ruck to put his team back in front, with Healy adding the extras. It was double jeopardy for Bayonne, as Yan Lestrade was sent to the sinbin for going in late on the scrum-half.
Two minutes later, Vellacott scored again, just getting to the line in the middle of a ruck of bodies. Healy converted, and a game that had seemed to be in the balance was now firmly in Edinburgh’s grasp at 26-15.
There was still some fight left in the French club, but Duhan van der Merwe killed that off with his team’s fifth try a dozen minutes from time, barging over in the left corner. Healy converted to complete the scoring.