Edinburgh Rugby haunted by same old failings as debutant kept quiet by Leinster in URC opener
One step forward, two steps back for Everitt as they lose narrowly on opening night
New season but same old story for Edinburgh Rugby, who flattered to deceive on the opening night of the United Rugby Championship before going down 33-31 at Hive Stadium.
There were some good moments from the home side who led early in each half, but every time they got their noses in front, they were hauled back by visitors who had more nous.
Edinburgh at least have the consolation of two bonus points, the final one secured with the clock in the red through Matt Scott after a searing break from Ben Vellacott. Scott, in his third spell at the club, wasn’t in the original match-day squad but was drafted in late when Emiliano Boffelli had to withdraw injured.
His try was Edinburgh’s fifth, the same as the visitors, and the hosts were left to rue a long-range penalty miss by Ben Healy minutes before Scott scored. It could/would have made all the difference. Ifs and buts perhaps but the bottom line is Edinburgh fell short and it doesn’t get any easier for Sean Everitt’s side who now travel to South Africa to face the Bulls and Lions in rounds two and three.
Ross Thompson showed flashes of creativity on his Edinburgh bow but fellow debutant Mosese Tuipulotu had a quiet game. His partner in the centre, Matt Currie, had to go off in the first half with a hamstring injury. Duhan van der Merwe, who got only three URC tries last season, bagged two on the night, and there were also scores from Schoeman and Cherry.
Edinburgh have not beaten Leinster since March 2019 but there was an air of expectation inside a sold-out Hive. Chris Dean, whose long association with the club came to an end in the summer, presented the match ball and was afforded a rousing reception from the supporters. The atmosphere was building nicely, helped by a trumpeter in the Murrayfield stand, and the home players were clearly pumped. Schoeman was doing press-ups on the pitch seconds before kick-off and was soon involved in the game’s early moments, the most important of which was the opening try.
The home side thought they had scored through Currie in the corner after a period of pressure but referee Andrea Piardi called it back for a forward pass. Edinburgh had penalty advantage to fall back on and they made it count, Schoeman squeezing over. Thompson converted and it was exactly the start Everitt would have wanted.
What followed was less edifying for the home coach as his side conceded two tries in a 10-minute spell midway through the half. Tommy O’Brien nabbed the first in the corner after a slick passing move but it all felt a little too easy. It turned out to be O’Brien’s last contribution as he went off injured, replaced by Rob Russell.
Worse was to follow when a box-kick by Ali Price was collected by Charlie Trector almost unopposed and the young Leinster centre ran in a fine score. Sam Prendergast, who’d missed his earlier conversion attempt, nailed this one to put the visitors 12-7 ahead.
Edinburgh needed to take back momentum and they did it with a delightful bit of skill from Thompson. The stand-off shaped to kick then sidestepped his way into space. The ball was played from Wes Goosen to Jamie Ritchie who produced a lovely flipped pass to van der Merwe who finished in the corner. It was terrific try and tied the score, with Thompson off target with the conversion.
Edinburgh lived dangerously in the final moments of the half but survived thanks to Ritchie winning a huge turnover as Leinster applied the pressure.
The home team came out firing at the start of the second half, with Cherry on the end of a rolling maul for their third try. Thompson slotted the conversion from out wide to put Edinburgh 19-12 ahead.
Things then unravelled very quickly for Edinburgh as Leinster scored three tries in a disastrous 11-minute period. Jordan Larmour, played in by Prendergast, led the way. Then Jamison Gibson-Park got in on the act, bursting through some fairly feeble defence to score. Jack Conan completed the unholy trinity, driven over from a lineout. Prendergast converted all three then took his leave, replaced by Ross Byrne, with his side 33-19 up and a bonus point safely tucked away in their pocket.
Edinburgh got a bonus point of their own when van der Merwe ran in his second try after a looped pass from Goosen. Healy, on for Thompson, couldn’t add the extras and the hosts were nine points adrift.
The game sparked into life again in the final five minutes. Byrne was shown a yellow card for taking out Darcy Graham in the air, giving Healy the chance to reduce the arrears to six points. His penalty from halfway was short but Edinburgh scored their fifth try shortly afterwards when Scott profited from Vellacott’s break.
Match details
Edinburgh: Tries: Schoeman, van der Merwe 2, Cherry, Scott. Cons: Thompson 2, Healy.
Leinster: Tries: O’Brien, Tector, Larmour, Gibson-Park. Conan. Cons: Prendergast 4.
Yellow card: R Byrne (Leinster 76min)
Edinburgh: W Goosen; D Graham, M Tuipulotu, M Currie, D van der Merwe; R Thompson (B Healy 56), A Price (B Vellacott 65); P Schoeman (B Venter 55), D Cherry (E Ashman 50), P Hill (D Rae 50), M Sykes, G Gilchrist (J Hodgson 67), J Ritchie (M Bradbury 58), H Watson, B Muncaster.
Leinster: J Osborne; T O’Brien (R Russell 17), G Ringrose, C Tector, J Larmour; S Prendergast (R Byrne 58), J Gibson-Park (L McGrath 61); M Milne (C Healy 47), G McCarthy (J McKee 50), T Clarkson (R Slimani 50), C O’Tighearnaigh (B Deeny 50), J Ryan, M Deegan, S Penny (J Culhane 71; Penny 74), J Conan.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
Attendance:7,774.
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