Rugby: Brave Edinburgh falter

Published on Monday 14 December 2009 08:56

Bath 16 Edinburgh 9

COACH Rob Moffat poured lavish praise on his beaten Edinburgh side at The Rec but believes they wasted a golden chance to put one over on Bath in the Heineken Cup.

Despite knocking on the door for much of yesterday's Pool 4 clash on the banks of the River Avon, Edinburgh suffered a second European defeat of the season and now need to win all three remaining pool games to stand a realistic chance of reaching the last eight.

"Everyone will have seen how we played at the end and how we almost won it in those final few minutes," said Moffat.

"However, we didn't lose the game because we failed to score in the closing moments, we lost it because we were started slowly and gave them an eight-point lead. There was never likely to be too much between the sides, so to find ourselves eight points behind after only a few minutes, was particularly frustrating.

"Yes, we played well and showed a real willingness to play rugby, but I was disappointed with the manner in which we coughed up the ball and gave them an opportunity to win it.

"Having said that, we got a bonus point and find ourselves in there fighting with the other three sides. We need to go back home, regroup and make sure that we take our chances in the return fixture at Murrayfield next Saturday."

For Bath, it was the first time they had won in the Heineken Cup or the Guinness Premiership, since 18 September.

"It has been a difficult season so far for us," said coach Steve Meehan.

"But we battled and I think we showed enough quality to win the game. What pleased me about the whole day was that both teams came to play rugby.

"We were excellent in the first half and, although, they threatened us late on, I felt we deserved the victory. It was a monumental effort and it keeps us in with a chance. We will travel up to Scotland later this week in the knowledge we can still qualify."

However, it might have been so different had Edinburgh preyed on a glaring error from Bath's stand out player, scrum half Michael Claasens, in the closing seconds.

Needing only to kick the ball dead, from under his own posts, as the clock ticked past full time, the South African inexplicably passed the ball over the dead ball line and was duly penalised.

Sadly, for Edinburgh, the ensuing penalty came to nothing and when inspirational replacement Ali Hogg lost the ball in contact, a metre short, Edinburgh were nabbed for offside and Bath were home and dry.

Pieter Dixon, who came into the side at the last minute when England and British & Irish Lions hooker Lee Mears dropped out with a virus, barged his way over in the right corner after only three minutes to give the home side the perfect start.

A Nicky Little penalty, three minutes later, completed Bath's whirlwind start and left Edinburgh chasing the game.

Captain Chris Paterson chipped away at the lead with two penalties before Bath struck with a second try, this time from Michael Stephenson.

A third Paterson penalty just before the break, whilst Phil Godman was serving ten minutes in the sin bin for dissent, cut the lead to four points. However, a long-range Little penalty eight minutes from time gave Bath a little more breathing space as the game entered its final stage.

The final quarter saw Edinburgh set up camp in the Bath 22 and, when Claassens' unfortunate error provided the visitors with one last shot, there was genuine belief amongst the small but vocal band of travelling fans.

Unfortunately, when the ball was turned over and Bath were awarded a penalty on their own line, that was that. It had been a wonderful effort based on honest endeavour and a real spirit of adventure.

Sadly, it will be seen as the one that got away with 65 per cent possession further suggesting that it was a missed opportunity.

Whether or not it costs Edinburgh in the long run, remains to be seen. However, unless they can reverse the trend this week, on home soil, their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals will once and for all disappear.

Scorers:

Bath: Tries: Dixon, Stephenson; Penalties: Little (2).Edinburgh: Penalties: Paterson (3).

Bath: N Abendanon, M Stephenson, M Carraro, S Hape, T Cheeseman, N Little, M Claassens (c), D Flatman, P Dixon, D Wilson (D Bell 68), S Hooper, P Short, A Beattie (B Skirving 70), J Salvi, L Watson.

Edinburgh: C Paterson (c) (J Thompson 65), J Houston, B Cairns, N De Luca, T Visser, P Godman (D Blair 55, R Samson 77)), G Laidlaw; A Jacobsen (K Traynor 58), R Ford (A Kelly 68), G Cross (D Young 78), S Turnbull (C Hamilton 40), S MacLeod, A MacDonald, R Grant, S Newlands (A Hogg 60).