HIDALGO-CLYNE CLINCHES EDINBURGH GLORY

SAM HIDALGO-CLYNE was in top kicking form as Edinburgh closed the gap on sixth-placed Connacht with a heroic win in a storm lashed Galway last night. The scrum-half kicked three second-half penalties as the Scots followed up last week’s memorable win against Glasgow Warriors with a crucial victory. After winning the toss, Edinburgh elected to play into the teeth of the storm in the first half. But they should have fallen behind in the eighth minute when they infringed at the breakdown 30 metres from their own tryline. With the wind at his back, Connacht fly-half Miah Nikora might have expected to manage the distance with the wind advantage but his effort cannoned off the crossbar. When Edinburgh’s opening score of the game arrived through a David Denton try on 17 minutes, Connacht could have no complaints. The move started when Greig Tonks pinned Connacht deep into their own 22 with a well-struck penalty and Anton Bresler claimed the lineout, which Connacht contested. The resultant maul was stopped but Dougie Fife came within inches of crossing from HidalgoClyne’s pass. A quick tap penalty from Hidalgo-Clyne then almost sent Hamish Watson over, but from the next phase Denton was forced over the line when he coupled with Jack Cuthbert. Hidalgo-Clyne’s conversion gave Edinburgh a 7-0 lead, but the home side trimmed that back to a four-point gap when Nikora drilled over a penalty in the 24th minute when Bresler infringed on the ground. John Muldoon came close to giving Connacht the lead just after the half-hour mark, with Cuthbert’s covering tackle halting the Connacht skipper, but the Edinburgh line began to live a charmed life. And three minutes from the break, the pressure told when Ben Toolis killed the ball under the Connacht posts and earned a yellow card for his troubles. Connacht elected to scrum and Leighton Hodges was quick to award the penalty try at the first attempt, with the Edinburgh scrum in reverse. Nikora converted for a 10-7 lead, but he tagged on another penalty on half time after Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki forced a crucial turnover from Phil Burleigh. Despite their numerical disadvantage, Edinburgh started the second half impressively with the wind at their backs. And four minutes in they cut Connacht’s advantage to three points when Hidalgo-Clyne landed an impressive penalty from the right when prop Denis Buckley went off his feet. Edinburgh continued to turn the screw and by the 50th minute, they drew level, this time tight-head Rodney Ah You was penalised at the scrum, and Hidalgo-Clyne landed the toughest kick up to that point from the right side to make it 13-13. With time running out, the conditions became a massive factor. Connacht’s ill-discipline was not helping them, especially at the breakdown. Once the penalty count went to seven by the 70th minute, the unlucky infringer, replacement prop Finlay Bealham, was sent to the sin bin for the remainder of the game. The penalty was just inside the Connacht half on the left, and with Watson holding the ball steady on the tee, Hidalgo-Clyne drilled over a sublime penalty to give Edinburgh the win.