New Edinburgh duo prove to be real Dragons slayers
DRAGONS 14 EDINBURGH 30
Forty minutes of brilliant attacking rugby got Edinburgh on course for victory at Rodney Parade last night. Then 40 minutes of solid, sensible, secondhalf play saw them home.
It was a fourth win in six URC matches for Mike Blair’s side, and a result that keeps them in contention near the top of the 16-team table.
The brilliance in the first half came largely from their two Argentina internationals.
Full-back Emiliano Boffelli scored on his debut after just two minutes, and winger Ramiro Moyano scored two more tries as the visitors threatened to run away with the match.
The Dragons fought back and, after briefly taking the lead, were only three points behind at half-time. Neither team had quite as much energy in the second half, but Edinburgh had enough to stay on top. Two penalties from Blair Kinghorn extended their lead, then right on full-time Damien Hoyland scored the fourth, bonus-point try.
Kinghorn, who had converted one of the earlier touchdowns, added the extras to that score too with the last kick of the game.
Some teams would have tried to close the game down after going nine points up, but Edinburgh are a lot more adventurous these days, and head coach Mike Blair was delighted with the positive approach his players showed.
“It was a funny one,” he said. “With about 76 minutes on the clock, we were nine points ahead. I was thinking: ‘Are we just going to secure the win, or are we going to go for the bonus point?’
“Going for the bonus point was excellent. The players showed a huge amount of drive to go and get it and get us over the line.”
Boffelli only joined up with his new team-mates on Monday, and Moyano is acting as his unofficial interpreter while he gets his English up to speed.
But it was obvious from this game that he already has a good understanding of the kind of rugby Edinburgh want him to play, and the coach is confident that he will be a major asset to the team.
“I deliberately paired them and selected them together,” Blair said of the duo.
“I felt that would be important for them in terms of communication.
“The pair of them were outstanding and deserved their tries. There’s a lot more to come from Emiliano especially, as he only joined the group earlier this week.”
Edinburgh were 10-0 up and seemed to be cruising before the Dragons got their act together and hit back with tries from Sam Davies and Jonah Holmes.
That made it 12-10 to the home team after Davies converted his own score, but Moyano’s second try gave the visitors some breathing space at the break.
Those two Kinghorn penalties in the second half gave them a more-comfortable cushion, then came that last-gasp score, with Hoyland touching down as the clock went into the red.
The win was especially impressive given the conditions, according to Blair.
“That was genuinely one of the worst winds in a game I’ve ever been involved in,” he added.
“It was so strong, blowing all over the pitch.
“We wanted to play with tempo and keep hold of the ball, rather than just giving it back to the Dragons. That was backed up by energy and physicality, so I was really pleased.”