Defeat in Cardiff but Solomons says '˜there's no need to panic'

Dan Fish of Cardiff Blues slides in to tackle Edinburghs Rory Scholes in Saturdays first round of Guinness Pro12 games. The visitors must follow this defeat with a tough run of fixtures against Leinster, Munster and Connacht. Picture: Fotosport

With a tough run of games to follow, Leinster at home followed by trips to Munster and champions Connacht, Edinburgh will need to regain last season’s forward power and then hope a new-look back line can fire more shots with Duncan Weir pulling the strings at 10.

The Scotland outside half scored his first Pro12 points for his new club, but his team were competitive for just half an hour in Cardiff – once they slipped behind through a penalty try from a driving lineout just before half-time it was a game that the Blues cruised.

“The big thing in this game if you look at both halves is that they dominated territory and possession. You cannot play if you are buried deep in your half and you do not have the ball,” said Solomons, below.

“It was so difficult for the backs, we did not have enough ball to play with and that was the problem so we have to look aerially and at errors.

“The pack will pick up but they need the game time under their belt.

“Firstly let’s give credit to our opponents, secondly guys like WP [Nel] and Fordy [Ross Ford] are in their second games of the season so they will get stronger.

“We have massive games and we know we need to pick it up, but we know it is early in the season. There is no need to panic.”

If there was one bit of good news for Edinburgh it was the way Weir slotted into his new team after making the summer move along the M8, though he was certainly not complacent.

“I’m not the type of guy that sits on the high horse and thinks they are Dan the Man. You need to go out and work and prove you can do a good job,” he said.

“It was nice kicking a few goals but the team scoreline is more important than the individual one.

“We probably did not adapt to the weather and unforced errors killed us at times. The first 20 minutes were fairly positive, then the heavens came down and we did not play smart enough and  clinical enough. I know Edinburgh had a strong home record last season so it is about repeating that.”

Edinburgh did start strongly, with centre Solomoni Rasolea picking a good angle to burst through for their  try.

No 8 Nasi Manu limped off and is doubtful for this weekend, so losing the match wasn’t the only concern for Solomons.

If the first half was one of missed opportunities then the second half was largely one-way traffic. They cannot afford a repeat on Friday.