Capital men made to battle to keep play-off dreams alive
Win welcome in Wales but much improvement needed to reach target
EDINBURGH came away from Cardiff with a victory but they did not get the bonus point they would have wanted in the tight battle for the top eight. A place in the play-offs is key for Sean Everitt’s side but they had to fight to the last whistle just to get the four points that moved them into the top eight – until Connacht’s late win moved them out of it again.
It took until 26 minutes before Edinburgh eventually took the lead despite seeing almost all of the ball and having the majority of the territory. It was Pierre Schoeman who got over the line after a number of phases of attack following a Duhan van der Merwe run and the ball eventually found its way to the prop, who forced his way over the line before Ben Healy added the extras.
It was a disappointing first half from both sides who struggled to get going and the second half started poorly for Edinburgh as Van der Merwe was yellow carded for a high tackle and immediately afterwards, Rhys Carre got Cardiff their only try.
The extras were added and Cardiff were level and Edinburgh’s inability to take their chances in the first half looked to be a worry.
Ali Price looked threatening and made a great break but he could not find either Healy or Emiliano Boffelli who were running through and he was robbed of the ball by Tinus de Beer who then won a penalty to allow Cardiff to clear.
A comedy of errors then allowed Cardiff’s Jacob Beetham to race forward but he was chased down and forced out of touch by the returning van der Merwe.
Edinburgh did manage to get themselves in front again with just under 20 minutes to go when Ewan Ashman forced himself over the line on the back of a line-out maul with Healy again adding the extras.
Healy gave Edinburgh a bit of breathing space with a penalty with 10 minutes to go before Boan Venter added a third try to see the game out.
Patience needed for Edinburgh
Edinburgh had to be patient to get the victory they wanted but they will still be frustrated by the fact they did not get a bonus point. Everitt had wanted them to be a lot more clinical after last week’s first half but it just did not work out for them on the night.
They dominated possession and territory, but they struggled to break down Cardiff who were dogged throughout. Eventually they got the breathing space between them to win the game, but it did take a lot of patient work and the fact all three tries were scored by the front row proved that.
Wins are great but improvement needed
Edinburgh got the win they needed to keep their bid to finish in the top eight and reach the play-offs alive but they will need to improve massively for the final three games of the season. They have a home tie against Zebre where they will target five points, but their final two games are against Munster and Benetton and the step up in quality means Edinburgh must improve their game too.
Everitt will know what needs to change for the final few weeks of the campaign.
URC title is a long way off
Healy spoke last week about his belief that Edinburgh have what it takes to win the URC. There is nothing wrong with a bit of self confidence but on the evidence of this game, they are still a long way off from competing with the best teams in the league for silverware.
They are not clinical enough and that has been the story of their season with just two bonus-point wins. They need to step it up a level or two if they want to be thought of in the same breath as teams such as Leinster and Glasgow.
Mata shows his class
Bill Mata was a replacement yesterday and although Luke Crosbie is a very good player, there was an increase in quality from Edinburgh when the Fijian came on in the second half. He was able to carry the ball a lot more and push his team forward. It was another example of just how big a miss he is going to be next season when he heads for Bristol Bears.
Magnus Bradbury’s return will soften the blow in the summer but Edinburgh fans will always look fondly back at the time they got to watch Mata in their shirt.
Welsh clean sweep
The victory over Cardiff meant Edinburgh achieved a clean sweep against Welsh opposition this season. They had already beaten Scarlets twice as well as Dragons and Ospreys but now they have defeated all four Welsh opponents in one season for the first time.
It might not have been a vintage performance but it is a moment for the history books.