IT IS one of life's enduring mysteries that a team can play like clowns one weekend and ringmasters the next. Edinburgh leaked eight tries and failed to score one themselves in the opening 120 minutes of Magners League rugby this season but grabbed four touchdowns on Friday night against the Scarlets and it should have been more.
"We butchered at least three chances," was Andy Robinson's assessment after the 32-12 victory. Mark Robertson scored two cracking solo tries and won the man of the match award but will wonder how he didn't bag the hat trick. Somehow the winger con
trived to knock-on over the Scarlets try line.
Mike Blair and Chris Paterson showed flashes of brilliance. Matt Mustchin made a crunching tackle on fellow Kiwi Regan King and Hugo Southwell found the corners with unerring accuracy. Where Edinburgh fell down was in first-up defence which started poorly and went downhill fast after the match was won. Only some superb scrambling saved their blushes.
The other failing was in nailing their scoring opportunities. Phil Godman, who was generally excellent, should have done better after breaking from his own 22 late in the game. The fly-half ignored Nick De Luca who was coming up on his outside like a Derby winner and the move died with Godman's long floated pass.
"I would have been under the posts," said De Luca.
Asked to explain his side's up-tick in form, the centre said: "There was much greater urgency out there whereas we sat back a little against Leinster and allowed them to take control."
De Luca has mirrored his team's fortunes to date, looking a little out of sorts without his usual sparring partner Ben Cairns but he gelled well enough with Southwell on Friday who played as well as he ever has done in the midfield.
De Luca also helped himself to the try of the match. He picked a perfect line and, in his own words, "found myself up against a fat bloke". De Luca rounded the Michelin Man before cutting inside the final two defenders for as sweet a score as you'll see. Did you get your confidence back tonight, someone asked? "I've never lost it", was the centre's response.
The full article contains 385 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
