URC result: Edinburgh overrun Lions in Scotland
· Citizen
The Lions were unable to trouble in-form United Rugby Championship (URC) table toppers Edinburgh, as the hosts overran the visitors five tries to one to clinch a comfortable 31-10 win at the Hive Stadium in Scotland on Friday night.
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The game was played in difficult conditions, with rain falling for most of the match, but the Lions just didn’t show nearly enough on attack, compared to the hosts who chose to run the ball at will, and it eventually paid off as they powered away in the second half.
It was a big arm wrestle in the first half, and although Edinburgh had edged the play, the Lions should have gone into halftime ahead, but instead they trailed 5-3 and the hosts then stepped it up in the second half and the visitors couldn’t respond.
But the result also has to be put in perspective, with the Lions still dealing with the loss of teammate Hyron Andrews, just a week ago in France, and many of their players will still be in a dark place, and will likely struggle until they finally get home in just over a week, after their next game against Glasgow Warriors next Friday.
Scrappy start
It was a very scrappy opening 15 minutes between the two teams, with them struggling to get to grips with the difficult weather conditions.
But they were showing different game plans, with the Lions going to the boot often, while Edinburgh were happy to have a crack, and that saw them open the scoring in the 20th minute.
It was a good attack in the Lions half that saw the ball go down the line, where a superb no look pass from eighthman Magnus Bradbury put outside centre Matt Currie away down the line, with him passing to scrumhalf Hector Patterson inside him, and he returned the ball to Currie to run in and score.
The Lions finally got on the board in the 33rd minute after their best spell of the game up to that point, earning a penalty in the hosts 22m which flyhalf Chris Smith popped over.
Six minutes later the Lions made a big mistake, after a hack ahead from deep in their own half and great chase, they won a penalty deep in the Edinburgh 22m dead in front of the posts.
Although their scrum had been firing, with them winning a tighthead earlier, they should have gone for posts to take the lead on halftime, instead they chose to scrum, were unable to get dominance, attacked off the back and knocked on, which gave Edinburgh a scrum that they secured and cleared to lead at the break.
Second half
Not taking their points came back to bite the Lions at the start of the second half, with Edinburgh on the front foot immediately and scoring through inside centre Mosese Tuipulotu, only for it to be chalked off after the TMO picked up a knock on in the build-up.
But in the 47th minute Tuipulotu was not to be denied after Edinburgh mauled from a lineout, with it stopped, but the loose ball was then passed to the centre to smash his way over for the converted score and a 12-3 lead.
That became 19-3 four minutes later, as Edinburgh attacked from a scrum just outside their own 22m, with the ball spread wide and a narrow Lions defensive line was exposed as wing Kelly Mpeku came in leaving space out wide on the overlap leading to a break, with the ball going through the hands and Patterson finished off a wonderful score.
In the 57th minute the Lions hit back to give themselves a chance, despite losing another lineout on the Edinburgh 5m, a top tackle and counter ruck got the ball back, and after basing away on the line a gap finally opened with Smith putting in flank Batho Hlekani for the converted score.
But that was as good as it got for the visitors, as Edinburgh ran away with it in the last 20 minutes, with two more tries, as a quick tap from the brilliant Patterson saw him sprint away to score his second, followed by wing Geordie Gwynn going over in the corner after working space out wide, to seal an impressive win.
Scorers
Edinburgh: Tries – Matt Currie, Mosese Tuipulotu, Hector Patterson (2) Geordie Gwynn; Conversions – James Grayson (3)
Lions: Try – Batho Hlekani; Conversion – Chris Smith; Penalty – Smith