Tag Archive: Heineken Cup


Lest We Get Carried Away…

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May 7, 2012

With the regular season over there is a brief pause for contemplation before Glasgow tip themselves into the Playoffs. This in itself signifies a magnificent achievement and the team fully deserve to get there by the grace of their own valorous defence.

Edinburgh, too, must face praise for their ability to meliorate. Time and time again they overturned their league form and the expectations of the rugby community to provide their fans with salving results. More so than this, though, they played some of the most enticing run-or-be-damned rugby.

However, as the social networking sites become thick with flattery and the pedestal gets dusted off once more you must remember, to a fan, that this is one step along a long path of horridly uneven ground.

Indeed as I hear the words ‘hero’, ‘legend’ and ‘new beginning’ I cannot help but conjure up images in my head of a stilted, neo-biblical scene…

Stood atop a jutting rock, cloth billowing in the air, Andrew Robinson surveys his crowd.

Meagre at first, their numbers have grown as word of shocking feats has danced along that same wind. Jilted before and weary of false dawns the crowd have set their resolve more stolid and ventured out to see where they may be led. They yearn for a time of peace and plenty.

They recognise this character before them, as they had perhaps cursed his minions in the past, but he looks different. The light dances off his scalp and that look in his eye that had previously been believed to be frustration is now believed to be calculation.

This leader has disappointed them before, with failed raids and campaigns that crashed upon the rocks, taking wildly fanciful expectations to the dust with them. Defeat had been tasted and faith had waned. Under such auspices this leader sunk into the shadows, basking in the brief obscurity.

New leaders pushed out into the light, representing fiefdoms and marching under the banner of more localised interests. They battled hard and secured treasures. As if by miracle these regions saw their wealth grow and they looked to build stockades. New idols were pushed forward by the hoards. Young soldiers. Supporters rallied and these teams marched to battle with a din at their backs and a stockpile at their lair. No one asked questions, many more believed.

Now, though, it becomes clear that the leader in the shadows has played a part in all of this. The miracle gold has been sent out at his behest. The new soldiers sent for from far, foreign lands have been decided upon by a council headed by the leader. Other leaders have been summoned. Elders have been banished in private.

Now, as one good harvest has been gathered by the fiefs the leader comes out again. It is time to rally. Robinson turns atop his rock, squinting to the south. The masses see this and they feel gladness in their hearts…

Now I may be over exaggerating, but as this is my fantasy it is my prerogative. Nonetheless, I feel fear as I see the faith grow, and as fantastic as growing support is, Scotland has been hurt too many times before believing glory is close at hand.

This has been a good club season, but fans must not get carried away. There is still a vast, ugly desert to cross before it is time to gorge on milk and honey.

Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have shown that they did not have the required depth to take on longer campaigns so they have let many players go. New ones are coming in. There are to be swathes of change in both clubs’ coaching structures, as well as the Scotland coaching structure. Alongside this there is more of a streamlined look as management shake-ups come in.

Things appear to be moving in the right direction after almost two years of Graham Lowe and Andy Robinson getting in league.

However, what remains to be seen is if Scotland can start to produce more talented youngsters to supplement the few shining for the pro sides just now, like RabDirect Young Player of the Year Stuart Hogg. Depth must be achieved, but the money –wherever it has been won or borrowed from –is not limitless, and there cannot be a continual sending for players whose international allegiances are not even known.

By the same token, questions must be asked about how the SRU is being restructured with the likes of Henry Edwards parting ways with the SRU. What shape will the new-look management take? Who is coming in? Who else is going? How are we going to make the development of kids our most important priority?

Edinburgh and Glasgow have had good seasons, and Glasgow’s may turn out to be great if they play fantastically against Leinster. However, in the last two seasons one of either team has finished second bottom of the league. Stability must be achieved before anyone can talk of fighting on two fronts, which must be the target.

As well as this the SRU must be concerned by the fact that they enjoy a transient crowd. Numbers swell, in their way, when the teams are doing well. Yet when Edinburgh went to Dublin for their Heineken semi-final only a fraction of the 37,000-odd who saw their quarter travelled. Also, we are talking about numbers like the 5,374 who saw Glasgow secure a playoff place. Again, this is improvement, but we must be aiming for higher. Strugglers Newcastle and Wasps secured a crowd of 13,475 on Saturday in the Aviva Premiership, while 13,047 saw Scarlets defeat Cardiff. Everyone knows that those transient fans need to be tied down.

So things are going good, but not great. We need to be shown that there are plans to make it all great. I’m all for a bit of faith, but we should never, ever, ever get carried away in this country. Especially when the national team still have so much to prove.



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Lest We Get Carried Away…

Filed Under: News by Dirty Balls — Leave a comment
May 7, 2012

With the regular season over there is a brief pause for contemplation before Glasgow tip themselves into the Playoffs. This in itself signifies a magnificent achievement and the team fully deserve to get there by the grace of their own valorous defence.

Edinburgh, too, must face praise for their ability to meliorate. Time and time again they overturned their league form and the expectations of the rugby community to provide their fans with salving results. More so than this, though, they played some of the most enticing run-or-be-damned rugby.

However, as the social networking sites become thick with flattery and the pedestal gets dusted off once more you must remember, to a fan, that this is one step along a long path of horridly uneven ground.

Indeed as I hear the words ‘hero’, ‘legend’ and ‘new beginning’ I cannot help but conjure up images in my head of a stilted, neo-biblical scene…

Stood atop a jutting rock, cloth billowing in the air, Andrew Robinson surveys his crowd.

Meagre at first, their numbers have grown as word of shocking feats has danced along that same wind. Jilted before and weary of false dawns the crowd have set their resolve more stolid and ventured out to see where they may be led. They yearn for a time of peace and plenty.

They recognise this character before them, as they had perhaps cursed his minions in the past, but he looks different. The light dances off his scalp and that look in his eye that had previously been believed to be frustration is now believed to be calculation.

This leader has disappointed them before, with failed raids and campaigns that crashed upon the rocks, taking wildly fanciful expectations to the dust with them. Defeat had been tasted and faith had waned. Under such auspices this leader sunk into the shadows, basking in the brief obscurity.

New leaders pushed out into the light, representing fiefdoms and marching under the banner of more localised interests. They battled hard and secured treasures. As if by miracle these regions saw their wealth grow and they looked to build stockades. New idols were pushed forward by the hoards. Young soldiers. Supporters rallied and these teams marched to battle with a din at their backs and a stockpile at their lair. No one asked questions, many more believed.

Now, though, it becomes clear that the leader in the shadows has played a part in all of this. The miracle gold has been sent out at his behest. The new soldiers sent for from far, foreign lands have been decided upon by a council headed by the leader. Other leaders have been summoned. Elders have been banished in private.

Now, as one good harvest has been gathered by the fiefs the leader comes out again. It is time to rally. Robinson turns atop his rock, squinting to the south. The masses see this and they feel gladness in their hearts…

Now I may be over exaggerating, but as this is my fantasy it is my prerogative. Nonetheless, I feel fear as I see the faith grow, and as fantastic as growing support is, Scotland has been hurt too many times before believing glory is close at hand.

This has been a good club season, but fans must not get carried away. There is still a vast, ugly desert to cross before it is time to gorge on milk and honey.

Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have shown that they did not have the required depth to take on longer campaigns so they have let many players go. New ones are coming in. There are to be swathes of change in both clubs’ coaching structures, as well as the Scotland coaching structure. Alongside this there is more of a streamlined look as management shake-ups come in.

Things appear to be moving in the right direction after almost two years of Graham Lowe and Andy Robinson getting in league.

However, what remains to be seen is if Scotland can start to produce more talented youngsters to supplement the few shining for the pro sides just now, like RabDirect Young Player of the Year Stuart Hogg. Depth must be achieved, but the money –wherever it has been won or borrowed from –is not limitless, and there cannot be a continual sending for players whose international allegiances are not even known.

By the same token, questions must be asked about how the SRU is being restructured with the likes of Henry Edwards parting ways with the SRU. What shape will the new-look management take? Who is coming in? Who else is going? How are we going to make the development of kids our most important priority?

Edinburgh and Glasgow have had good seasons, and Glasgow’s may turn out to be great if they play fantastically against Leinster. However, in the last two seasons one of either team has finished second bottom of the league. Stability must be achieved before anyone can talk of fighting on two fronts, which must be the target.

As well as this the SRU must be concerned by the fact that they enjoy a transient crowd. Numbers swell, in their way, when the teams are doing well. Yet when Edinburgh went to Dublin for their Heineken semi-final only a fraction of the 37,000-odd who saw their quarter travelled. Also, we are talking about numbers like the 5,374 who saw Glasgow secure a playoff place. Again, this is improvement, but we must be aiming for higher. Strugglers Newcastle and Wasps secured a crowd of 13,475 on Saturday in the Aviva Premiership, while 13,047 saw Scarlets defeat Cardiff. Everyone knows that those transient fans need to be tied down.

So things are going good, but not great. We need to be shown that there are plans to make it all great. I’m all for a bit of faith, but we should never, ever, ever get carried away in this country. Especially when the national team still have so much to prove.



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Black And Red Army Tour Diary – Inverness to Dublin (and Back)

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April 30, 2012

Craig Little writes:

Around 100 Edinburgh supporters made the journey to Dublin on the Semi Final “Fun  Buses” at the weekend.   Arriving at the SRU headquarters at 6.45am, having travelled down with my dad from Inverness the night before, we were looking forward to the trip, despite the long journey ahead.

Nearly everyone was dressed in black and red and a fair few in kilts. By speaking to people on the bus it was clear that everyone was from a variety of clubs: Linlithgow, Moray, Kirkcaldy, Highland, Lasswade, Waysiders, Hawick to name a few, let alone the people representing the “home” clubs.  The age group ranged from youngsters with their dads, groups of mates in their 20s, to a guy who I guessed must be in his mid 80s.

A quick pit stop at Girvan en route, and we picked up our new driver “Gerry”, who was full of the patter and did a great job of looking after us throughout the weekend.  Arriving at Cairnryan, he gave one of the passengers a box full off Edinburgh Flags, scarves and face paints, which was passed around the bus and appreciated by all.  He kept us entertained with some banter including using the face paint on one bald guys head.  Aboard the ferry the groups soon headed for the bar and food and sat back for a very smooth crossing, which took around 2 hours to Belfast.

Arriving into Dublin, we were greeted with a lot of traffic and it was slow going as we approached the stadium. It was clear from the road and the number of Ulster tops/flags that we were well outnumbered. For the first time at a rugby match, I experienced what I would best describe as “football banter” with the Ulster fans booing our buses and shouting towards us as well as making hand gestures.

On the way into the ground it was clear from the ten minute walk that the Ulster fans thought we were there merely to make up the numbers and it would be a whitewash. To say they were confident was an understatement! My dad and I bantered with a few Irish lads, also wearing kilts, who thought they would be three of four tries up by half time.

This was my first time at the Aviva and my first impressions were good. Nice Stadium, easy to navigate and I like stadiums that have the food court and bars close to the seats. There were also mobile bars, with people wearing Heineken Back packs and dispensing beers.  My only grumble was the toilets… I thought only women faced queues!

As for the game, we made too many mistakes. A couple of the big players didn’t front up. Questions need to be asked of Poite’s decision making, the ball was out for their try, and was Lee Jones in front of Laidlaw at one of the penalties? Why was Ferris not sin binned?

The atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic, with so many white flags and the noise from the Ulster fans was incredible. In response the reported 4000 Edinburgh fans adopted Ulster’s song “Stand Up for the Ulster Men”, changing it to “Stand up for the Edinburgh” whenever the Ulster fans were quiet. It was amusing to see the reaction of some of their fans when we first did it.

Ultimately the Ulster, or should I say South African experience showed. Pienaar never looked like missing kicks on Saturday and from the moment he slotted over the first one from halfway, we knew penalties would be costly.

The try in the last minute from Thomson was great to see, however Edinburgh left it a little too late and despite having 60% possession couldn’t make the breakthrough early enough in the second half.

After the match, we headed back to the buses and another long delay, taking nearly 1.5 hours to get out of Dublin, which meant that we arrived back to Belfast around 23:30.  A few folk headed to their beds while a small group gathered in our hotel bar to have a few more drinks.  Spread across three hotels, only a few hardy souls ventured further into Belfast’s night life. At our bar were lucky enough to be joined by current Northampton Saints Number 8 Roger Wilson, who was home for the weekend to take in the match.  He was an interested spectator, given that he will be joining Ulster for next season.

Edinburgh should be proud of what they have achieved this season in the cup and should continue to build a strong fan base by providing these types of trips (although this was arranged by Stenaline). At £99 for return travel, overnight accommodation and breakfast you can’t go wrong.  Although there is a lot of travelling involved, by not taking any time off work and taking the cheapest option for getting there the experience is as much as what you put into it as what you get out.  You simply need to look on twitter for the #semifinalfunbus to see other people’s thoughts.

As we sank the last few pints of Guinness on the ferry home, the general feeling amongst the supporters on the buses was that it was a great deal and something that they would do again. Perhaps Scotland could look at this for the Six Nations and Edinburgh/Glasgow build on this for future Heineken and Rabo Games. Scots love to travel!

With the season’s end almost upon us, all eyes turn to Glasgow.  This Saturday sees the Warriors with a chance to secure a play off place, as well as the Glasgow 7s taking place.  Let’s hope that all involved in Scottish Rugby gets behind them, as we have with Edinburgh’s campaign and finish the season off with a smile.

For me the only good thing to come out of Edinburgh’s defeat is now that I wont be going to London, I can spend the weekend at the “World’s Most Sociable Sevens” on the Isle of Mull.

I eventually arrived back to Inverness around 9.30pm last night, having travelled more than 850 miles in the last two days. Was it all worth it?

…..of course it was!

For any more rugby related ramblings, please follow Craig @snitch9 on Twitter.



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Black And Red Army Tour Diary – Edinburgh to Dublin (and Back)

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April 30, 2012

Craig Little writes:

Around 100 Edinburgh supporters made the journey to Dublin on the Semi Final “Fun  Buses” at the weekend.   Arriving at the SRU headquarters at 6.45am, having travelled down with my dad from Inverness the night before, we were looking forward to the trip, despite the long journey ahead.

Nearly everyone was dressed in black and red and a fair few in kilts. By speaking to people on the bus it was clear that everyone was from a variety of clubs: Linlithgow, Moray, Kirkcaldy, Highland, Lasswade, Waysiders, Hawick to name a few, let alone the people representing the “home” clubs.  The age group ranged from youngsters with their dads, groups of mates in their 20s, to a guy who I guessed must be in his mid 80s.

A quick pit stop at Girvan en route, and we picked up our new driver “Gerry”, who was full of the patter and did a great job of looking after us throughout the weekend.  Arriving at Cairnryan, he gave one of the passengers a box full off Edinburgh Flags, scarves and face paints, which was passed around the bus and appreciated by all.  He kept us entertained with some banter including using the face paint on one bald guys head.  Aboard the ferry the groups soon headed for the bar and food and sat back for a very smooth crossing, which took around 2 hours to Belfast.

Arriving into Dublin, we were greeted with a lot of traffic and it was slow going as we approached the stadium. It was clear from the road and the number of Ulster tops/flags that we were well outnumbered. For the first time at a rugby match, I experienced what I would best describe as “football banter” with the Ulster fans booing our buses and shouting towards us as well as making hand gestures.

On the way into the ground it was clear from the ten minute walk that the Ulster fans thought we were there merely to make up the numbers and it would be a whitewash. To say they were confident was an understatement! My dad and I bantered with a few Irish lads, also wearing kilts, who thought they would be three of four tries up by half time.

This was my first time at the Aviva and my first impressions were good. Nice Stadium, easy to navigate and I like stadiums that have the food court and bars close to the seats. There were also mobile bars, with people wearing Heineken Back packs and dispensing beers.  My only grumble was the toilets… I thought only women faced queues!

As for the game, we made too many mistakes. A couple of the big players didn’t front up. Questions need to be asked of Poite’s decision making, the ball was out for their try, and was Lee Jones in front of Laidlaw at one of the penalties? Why was Ferris not sin binned?

The atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic, with so many white flags and the noise from the Ulster fans was incredible. In response the reported 4000 Edinburgh fans adopted Ulster’s song “Stand Up for the Ulster Men”, changing it to “Stand up for the Edinburgh” whenever the Ulster fans were quiet. It was amusing to see the reaction of some of their fans when we first did it.

Ultimately the Ulster, or should I say South African experience showed. Pienaar never looked like missing kicks on Saturday and from the moment he slotted over the first one from halfway, we knew penalties would be costly.

The try in the last minute from Thomson was great to see, however Edinburgh left it a little too late and despite having 60% possession couldn’t make the breakthrough early enough in the second half.

After the match, we headed back to the buses and another long delay, taking nearly 1.5 hours to get out of Dublin, which meant that we arrived back to Belfast around 23:30.  A few folk headed to their beds while a small group gathered in our hotel bar to have a few more drinks.  Spread across three hotels, only a few hardy souls ventured further into Belfast’s night life. At our bar were lucky enough to be joined by current Northampton Saints Number 8 Roger Wilson, who was home for the weekend to take in the match.  He was an interested spectator, given that he will be joining Ulster for next season.

Edinburgh should be proud of what they have achieved this season in the cup and should continue to build a strong fan base by providing these types of trips (although this was arranged by Stenaline). At £99 for return travel, overnight accommodation and breakfast you can’t go wrong.  Although there is a lot of travelling involved, by not taking any time off work and taking the cheapest option for getting there the experience is as much as what you put into it as what you get out.  You simply need to look on twitter for the #semifinalfunbus to see other people’s thoughts.

As we sank the last few pints of Guinness on the ferry home, the general feeling amongst the supporters on the buses was that it was a great deal and something that they would do again. Perhaps Scotland could look at this for the Six Nations and Edinburgh/Glasgow build on this for future Heineken and Rabo Games. Scots love to travel!

With the season’s end almost upon us, all eyes turn to Glasgow.  This Saturday sees the Warriors with a chance to secure a play off place, as well as the Glasgow 7s taking place.  Let’s hope that all involved in Scottish Rugby gets behind them, as we have with Edinburgh’s campaign and finish the season off with a smile.

For me the only good thing to come out of Edinburgh’s defeat is now that I wont be going to London, I can spend the weekend at the “World’s Most Sociable Sevens” on the Isle of Mull.

I eventually arrived back to Inverness around 9.30pm last night, having travelled more than 850 miles in the last two days. Was it all worth it?

…..of course it was!

For any more rugby related ramblings, please follow Craig @snitch9 on Twitter.



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Edinburgh Must Seek Knock-On Effect

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April 30, 2012

Ulster 22 – 19 Edinburgh Rugby

Edinburgh’s at times glorious Heineken Cup campaign came to a close at the weekend with a narrow defeat to Ulster in front of an Aviva Stadium in Dublin heavily favouring the Irish province.

I have to admit it could have been a lot worse, given some of Ulster’s performances against the capital men in the RaboDirect PRO12. Luckily for the hearts and souls of the ever growing Black and Red army, the right Edinburgh turned up and put in a spirited performance, if not a great one.

It surely had the potential to be a great one, with Edinburgh able to subdue and probe Ulster for long periods of the game and the backs and forwards both breaking over the gain line more often than Ulster’s usual defence would allow. Their discipline was pretty good too; no silly yellow cards this time. In the end though there were a couple of factors hard to ignore that did for Edinburgh: the error count and the scrum.

Edinburgh were in disarray while Ulster were a power at scrum-time, forcing points to appear almost by magic  just when they needed them to kill Edinburgh’s momentum. In turn Edinburgh tended to force the issue and dropped the ball as if by magic just when they needed points, also killing their momentum. For every great offload and line-break (there were plenty of each), there was a pass thrown behind or dropped with an overlap there to use. For every try-line turnover where a wee number 10 snatched the ball off a giant South African Number 8 rumbling for the line, there was a woefully squint throw to the scrum-half at the lineout when a straight one to the pack would have done just fine.

These good moments can turn the direction of matches if used correctly, but as it turned out there was an awful lot of going round in circles.

Sure, Poite could have – should have – called the ball out of the scrum for Wannenburg’s try, and he should have carded Ferris for slapping the ball out of Blair’s hands – you can bet if it had been De Luca he would have been punished. But Edinburgh should have executed their basic skills throughout and scored the tries they always looked like they could score. Then all of that wouldn’t have mattered.

There were far too many passes dropped or thrown poorly for this Edinburgh team to have progressed against an Ulster team led throughout by the peerless Pienaar. Although Laidlaw was just as effective with the boot from tee, and led his team brilliantly by example as he has done all year, in the end the South African’s class was just a little more decisive with boot and ball. I imagine the gulf in pay cheques is much larger.

That they so nearly did win and the deficit was only a couple of points (Ulster put a total of 80 past Edinburgh in the league) is a great credit to what Michael Bradley and his young squad have achieved this year, and could achieve with just a little more concentration, a little more clinical play.

It is also heartening that barring Mike Blair, who is off to pastures unknown (the Perpignan move is apparently off), this same team could be fielded again next year. What about a backline of Laidlaw, Scott, Visser, King, De Luca, Jones, Brown for next season? That’s before you figure in the new signings such as Richie Rees, Greig Tonks or Ben Atiga. It’s a similar story in the pack, where the new signings will help add a little more depth off the bench than Edinburgh currently possess anywhere apart from the back row, but where the first string looks settled and powerful.

This Edinburgh team still has plenty of attack left in them, and the lessons they have learned this season in the Heineken Cup are probably more valuable than any these players may have had in an international jersey. The one about never giving up and fighting to the last gasp was on display again here with Thompson’s late try, and has been a hallmark of their season in Europe.

Long may it continue.



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Edinburgh Must Seek Knock-On Effect

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April 30, 2012

Ulster 22 – 19 Edinburgh Rugby

Edinburgh’s at times glorious Heineken Cup campaign came to a close at the weekend with a narrow defeat to Ulster in front of an Aviva Stadium in Dublin heavily favouring the Irish province.

I have to admit it could have been a lot worse, given some of Ulster’s performances against the capital men in the RaboDirect PRO12. Luckily for the hearts and souls of the ever growing Black and Red army, the right Edinburgh turned up and put in a spirited performance, if not a great one.

It surely had the potential to be a great one, with Edinburgh able to subdue and probe Ulster for long periods of the game and the backs and forwards both breaking over the gain line more often than Ulster’s usual defence would allow. Their discipline was pretty good too; no silly yellow cards this time. In the end though there were a couple of factors hard to ignore that did for Edinburgh: the error count and the scrum.

Edinburgh were in disarray while Ulster were a power at scrum-time, forcing points to appear almost by magic  just when they needed them to kill Edinburgh’s momentum. In turn Edinburgh tended to force the issue and dropped the ball as if by magic just when they needed points, also killing their momentum. For every great offload and line-break (there were plenty of each), there was a pass thrown behind or dropped with an overlap there to use. For every try-line turnover where a wee number 10 snatched the ball off a giant South African Number 8 rumbling for the line, there was a woefully squint throw to the scrum-half at the lineout when a straight one to the pack would have done just fine.

These good moments can turn the direction of matches if used correctly, but as it turned out there was an awful lot of going round in circles.

Sure, Poite could have – should have – called the ball out of the scrum for Wannenburg’s try, and he should have carded Ferris for slapping the ball out of Blair’s hands – you can bet if it had been De Luca he would have been punished. But Edinburgh should have executed their basic skills throughout and scored the tries they always looked like they could score. Then all of that wouldn’t have mattered.

There were far too many passes dropped or thrown poorly for this Edinburgh team to have progressed against an Ulster team led throughout by the peerless Pienaar. Although Laidlaw was just as effective with the boot from tee, and led his team brilliantly by example as he has done all year, in the end the South African’s class was just a little more decisive with boot and ball. I imagine the gulf in pay cheques is much larger.

That they so nearly did win and the deficit was only a couple of points (Ulster put a total of 80 past Edinburgh in the league) is a great credit to what Michael Bradley and his young squad have achieved this year, and could achieve with just a little more concentration, a little more clinical play.

It is also heartening that barring Mike Blair, who is off to pastures unknown (the Perpignan move is apparently off), this same team could be fielded again next year. What about a backline of Laidlaw, Scott, Visser, King, De Luca, Jones, Brown for next season? That’s before you figure in the new signings such as Richie Rees, Greig Tonks or Ben Atiga. It’s a similar story in the pack, where the new signings will help add a little more depth off the bench than Edinburgh currently possess anywhere apart from the back row, but where the first string looks settled and powerful.

This Edinburgh team still has plenty of attack left in them, and the lessons they have learned this season in the Heineken Cup are probably more valuable than any these players may have had in an international jersey. The one about never giving up and fighting to the last gasp was on display again here with Thompson’s late try, and has been a hallmark of their season in Europe.

Long may it continue.



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Ulster vs Edinburgh: The Teams

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April 27, 2012

Michael Bradley shuffled his bench following an injury to Stuart McInally, but otherwise there were no surprises in the Edinburgh team announced today to take on Ulster in the Heineken Cup semi final.

On paper, Edinburgh go into the game nothing less than massive underdogs, but the capital men will be quietly confident about their own ability to cause yet another upset in this European campaign that has been full of them. Their league form is abysmal but if this cup run has shown us anything it is that this Edinburgh team are a different proposition in Europe. They tighten up their defence, sharpen up their tactics and play with massively increased passion and commitment. Ulster have also lost their last two league games (against Leinster and Connacht) since knocking out Munster.

Make no mistake, the “league Edinburgh” still bubbles close below the surface – there are still a few soft tries conceded, there are still yellow cards, still wild passes thrown rather than go into touch. In this semi-final there is no margin for error; Ulster will never be as forgiving of a 2 man advantage as Toulouse were.

The way Edinburgh came out and played Toulouse was something of a surprise but it was pitch perfect. If Bradley has a similar plan for Ulster, he is keeping it close to his chest. He will have to use every ounce of his tactical acumen preparing a plan for his players to beat Ulster. And the players themselves, as with Scotland, will have to play at the top of their game just to be competitive.

They will also have to do it without the massive support they earned at Murrayfield. The Aviva is expected to be packed out with Ulstermen or Irishmen of some description, so it will be a tough job silencing the crowd. But they managed it in Paris. And Edinburgh taking more away fans than their usual average home attendance is in itself something of a miracle…

Ulster have had to make a few changes themselves with Fitzpatrick in for the injured John Afoa, and Willie Faloon in for Chris Henry. Irish U20 standoff Paddy Jackson will retain his starting place at the expense of Iain Humphreys in a backline that looks to be as settled as Edinburgh’s.

Injury worries Ferris, Marshall and Wannenburg have all made the team, and if there is one worry over Ulster it could be the fitness of a few key players. Edinburgh have been lucky in that regard so far this season and will need to call on every ounce of strength to turn over what will be a supremely committed and well supported Ulster team.

For Edinburgh, there is no more style, there is no more flair. There are no more losing bonus points; there must now be only victory.

Edinburgh Team: T Brown, T Visser, N De Luca, M Scott, L Jones, G Laidlaw, M Blair; A Jacobsen, R Ford, G Cross, S Cox, G Gilchrist, D Denton, R Rennie, N Talei.
Replacements: A Kelly, K Traynor, J Gilding, S Turnbull, R Grant, C Leck, P Godman, J Thompson,

Ulster Team: S Terblanche, A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, C Gilroy, P Jackson, R Pienaar; T Court, R Best, D Fitzpatrick, J Muller (capt), D Tuohy, S Ferris, W Faloon, P Wannenburg.
Replacements: N Brady, P McAllister, A Macklin, L Stevenson, R Diack, P Marshall, I Humphreys, A D’Arcy

Saturday 28th April 2012, Aviva Stadium, Dublin (kick-off 5.45pm). TV coverage live on Sky Sports, radio coverage on BBC Radio Ulster MW, BBC Radio Scotland 810MW; commentary & updates on BBC Sport website.



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Beyond The Obvious, Everyone Is Tight Lipped Before Heineken Semi

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April 26, 2012

When people see ‘exclusives’ in sport, be it about big transfers or political fall outs, images are conjured of dark car parks, exchanged envelopes and that dirty, dirty feeling of theft. Normally it suits the source clubs and bodies to have that image because every one of them dreams of having a monopoly over information.

That is not only unrealistic; it is the stuff of pure fantasy. Any leak is normally given by someone who cares very much about what is going on at a club or wants the fans to know the truth.

Of course, sometimes it serves as a distraction. We stare brazenly at a montage of distractions. As consumers this is what everyone knows. Flashing bands of headlines and a blurb. It is why the news about Townsend to Glasgow was chucked out to the baying masses. It is the reason why almost all news of players being released comes with some other piece of PR. In modern sports the bad headline, unless reacted against, is rarely sent out on its own.

So as I tried to get some intimate bits of information before the Heineken Cup semi final I went through the traditional channels. The usual clichés are trotted out and everything is very much as is. However, as there are no English teams in this year’s Heineken semi finals, Sky are forced to look elsewhere for a story.

The attention being paid to Edinburgh is suddenly much greater than it normally is. In truth, for both parties it is a bizarre and almost novel sensation. The fallout from this, however, is that more distraction is demanded at a time when Edinburgh want to give away as little as possible. Nothing beyond mood and what is expected to be said can be said.

Sky ask about Denton because he is popular after the 6 Nations. He, in turn tells them what they want to hear. “Ferris is one of the best, if not the best, blindsides in the world at the moment. He’s a great player. When he gets on the front foot you can see the team rally behind him. I think if I can get on top of him there we’ll stand a good chance,” he tells them.

“I’ve played against Ferris before and a very strong Irish back row and I didn’t feel out of my depth. That’s important. If you can go into a game feeling confident in your own ability and your team’s ability, that’s the first step.”

Is this a tactic? Well, in the biggest game Edinburgh have ever played, it would be suicide to reveal that; although Denton may intone it is, he is being led by Sky questions. I tried to ask about specific tactics and understandably was informed that no, I will not be finding that out.

Had I gone to the shady car park I probably would get the same response from any contacts. At this stage it all means too much. Indeed, it is almost totally irrelevant when faced with this black and red enigma. For example, last week may as well have been a postponed game for all the relevance it held for this semi-final. Some ring rusty pros got a game, but Edinburgh would not change how they approach this week had they lost 120-0.

Yet what has to be said is: Edinburgh must change their tactics from the Toulouse game. By all means keep firing up the wingers in defence and let Visser at them when the line is stretched, but in terms of kicking there must be a move away from the plan of the quarters.

Laidlaw changed the length and direction of his kicks against the French giants and it caused a level of disarray, especially with Jauzion wearing 15. Much has been made of Toulouse knowing little about Edinburgh, and perhaps that played some part, but really they were squeezed and Laidlaw was in his finest tactical form.

The hope is that interviews from the likes of Denton and De Luca playing coy, suggesting that Edinburgh have ridden their luck and that they respect Ulster ever so much, they may be able to ambush them. According to one forthcoming source at Ulster, though, that won’t fly.

Ulster have maintained their focus, and “nothing has changed training wise this week. We have kept the pitch sessions the same, review/preview meetings are the same and our own individual work on the opposition is the same so we are fully prepared for anything Edinburgh has to throw at us.”

The source continues: “we saw from both quarter finals what we both did and deserve to be in the semis, but we [Ulster] have to be quietly confident as we have been playing some great rugby, scoring some great tries and defending very well. It’s been a long 13 years since we have reached this far in this competition and we don’t want it to end here, we are finally putting our mark in European rugby over the past couple of years and want to go further and attract bigger players to this little country of ours.”

It seems that, as before, everyone assumes Edinburgh will lose. However, this time there is not an underestimation of Edinburgh. They will know what to expect, and deep down Michael Bradley knows that, too.

It all comes down to unlocking that defence. None of my Edinburgh sources are talking, but my advice would be: keep your eyes on Visser’s movement third phase, and look out for the bomb in Ulster’s 22.

Edinburgh will need to bring their full bag of tricks to Dublin, and perform them all perfectly.



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Edinburgh v Toulouse Post-Match Reaction

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April 9, 2012

If the Racing Metro match was “The Slap That Was Immense” (to quote Google Translate), then perhaps this was The Slap Heard Round Europe. Toulouse came not to play the Scots out of the tournament with flair, but with muscle. Edinburgh – to the surprise of everyone except possibly themselves – stood up to them with a phenomenally committed second half performance that sent a record crowd of 38,887 into delirium.

Speaking afterwards, Edinburgh’s coach Michael Bradley spoke of the belief that previous performances had given Edinburgh: “We’ve played a lot of good rugby in this competition and under pressure we’ve been able to deliver in critical moments in matches in the pool stages. And I think we’ve rode our luck a bit, and today was another day similar to that and we were on the right side of the result.”

And what a result: the first Scottish side to reach the semi-final of the Heineken Cup. Edinburgh will play against Ulster in Dublin on Saturday 28th April.

Great as the day was and the result was, there was a period in the first half (following Edinburgh’s try) where they were being smothered by Toulouse. Trepidation was building as the Frenchmen looked like they were starting to make headway in the match.

Disciplinary errors of the brain from Jacobsen and to a lesser extent Rennie near his own line meant two silly yellow cards and an invitation to Matanovou to waltz through for a stunning individual try not long after must have induced cringes from Edinburgh fans and coaches alike. Bradley was more or less in agreement.

“Going down to 13 men was not wise. You could lose a game quite comfortably if you’re down to 13 men for ten minutes.

“We could easily have lost that game in those 10 minutes.”

Bradley referred back to the Scarlets game last weekend when Edinburgh had struggled to dominate the Welsh region despite a similar 2 man advantage, and how that had come up in training – how to mitigate the effect of such a problem.

So it was that it became not a typical self-destructive Scottish performance but a damage limitation exercise as Laidlaw stepped up and dropped the goal to recover some points during what could have been a very dark period of the game.

“When they scored their try you were thinking, this could get away from us, especially with Toulouse playing against 13 men,” agreed a bruised Lee Jones. “I think with us managing to hold out and even scoring points ourselves; that was the difference.”

Edinburgh went in at the half down by only four points. Toulouse would not score again.

With the home team restored to full strength in the second half, Toulouse nibbled round the fringes but never really sank their teeth into the match.

“When we got back to full complement we played the second half tactically very well” said Jones.

On tactics, Bradley elaborated: “Just to play Toulouse one way would be too easy for Toulouse to defend. What we tried to do was use multiple tactics… We kicked more ball today than we would normally kick, intentionally. We had to keep varying the target.”

His plan seemed to work, as their back three wilted under Laidlaw’s variety of chips, dinks and plain old up-and-under bombs. Attempts by Lionel Beauxis to respond in kind were met with vociferous jeers every time he failed – which was often. Laidlaw himself wouldn’t take all the praise though.

The way he sees it, his kicks were enabled from the platform the forwards his forwards provided, and the French having little platform made their kicks much harder. “The defence probably won it for us,” said the man of the match. Laidlaw was also full of praise for the big crowd, which added to the pressure (but in Bradley’s estimation was probably worth an extra couple of points to Edinburgh).

“This week it was different, everybody was on edge a little bit,” Greig said regarding the nerves midweek. “It probably showed in the first 20 minutes.” Regardless though, the team had an energy he described as “extremely positive”.

The French might have fancied the scrum as an area they could dominate. Prior analysis by Toulouse had shown an Edinburgh pack struggling at that particular set piece, but the consensus from Census Johnston was that Edinburgh had done their prep too.

“They did very good homework on us. They got a sniff in the second half and put us back.” He maintained that it didn’t dent their confidence, but “it was a bit of a surprise.” Rather than physicality it was “cleverness” that had given Edinburgh the edge in the scrums, at least as far as referee Owens was refereed them.

In defence, Scott and De Luca were everywhere. Even the smaller men like Jones were chipping in with huge hits that kept the crowd on Toulouse’s backs baying for more.

“I was pleased with those couple of hits,” said Jones on the ten minute spell when the momentum swung inexorably towards the home team. One moment in particular saw him bury Galan in the turf, having lined him up from some distance.

“If they had got it away we would have been in a bit of trouble. It was all about the timing – I knew he was going to throw the wide pass.

“There were three guys there, and fortunately I picked the right one.”

These are the moments of skill, good decision making (from a player or ref) or simply good fortune that turn games at the top level, and on Saturday the egg for the most part bounced in Edinburgh’s favour.

“You can’t overestimate how important those little moments are,” said Mike Blair; although he wouldn’t be drawn on why Scotland don’t get the luck in such moments.

Toulouse fans saving themselves and their Euros for the semi or the final trips will this week be disappointed. They were, as Guy Noves said, “not as strong as usual.”

“We have to go back to the drawing board, and think now.”

For Edinburgh conversely there will be a frantic scramble for flights from Edinburgh to Dublin – and presumably a resultant price hike from Messrs O’Leary, Stelios et al.

On the upcoming match with Ulster, Blair expected that the Ulstermen would have the backing of most of the fans in Dublin, but said, “It would be great to get as many people over as possible.

“A lot of people, a lot of very loyal fans, have been waiting a long time for this kind of match.”



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Edinburgh Into Heineken Semi-Finals: Edinburgh 19 – 14 Toulouse

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April 7, 2012

A sense of occasion was unavoidable as Edinburgh welcomed Toulouse and over 37,000 fans to Murrayfield. There was noise, mirth, goodwill and optimism in the crowd, but it must be said there was also a sense of the unknown as the capital side ventured into little-seen territory.

If there were any nerves about this, though, then it was translated into industry. After a scrum fell apart the ball fell into black and red hands there was a moment where white Toulousain players stood facing Edinburgh numbers. The last thing anyone expected was an up and under kick, but with Jauzion starting in the unaccustomed position of full-back Edinburgh thought it was worth a go.

The ball was dropped by the defence and Blair caught it, tumbling over the line and drawing cover. The TMO gave it and as Laidlaw knocked over the conversion it was 7-0 after 2 minutes.

Lionel Beauxis replied with a lugubrious kick of his own but the game stayed at 7-3 for some time.

It was a lottery at scrum time thanks to referee Nigel Owens, but Edinburgh did not seem fazed. Toulouse had the upper hand in the early exchanges, but there was no way of knowing who would get the extended arm from the referee and Edinburgh were happy to retreat and make more tackles. So when Beauxis chipped over with another penalty to take it to 7-6 there was an air of defiance.

The great thing for fans was that Edinburgh had decided that the way to respond to those moments was to throw caution to the wind. So Tim Visser eyed a gap, threw a fend and bent a pass round his back to Cox. It signalled some adventure, and although no points came from it there was a show of intent by the home side.

However, if the home side were adventurous in attack, they were risky in defence. On the 26th minute Allan Jacobsen interfered from an offside position straight from a tap and had to be yellow carded. Two minutes later Ross Rennie killed play under the posts and was frog-marched off the pitch as well. Beauxis kicked three points against the 13 men.

With so much space Edinburgh struggled to keep up and when Matanavou caught a pass with less than half a pitch in front of him he found it easy to burn past Mike Blair and with a dispatched kick it was 7-14. The crowd were reminded that this would not be easy.

That being said, Edinburgh scrapped at breakdowns and despite Toulouse flying up in impressive defensive lines, Laidlaw leant back and sent a drop-goal towards an appreciative crowd. The half ended 10-14.

Toulouse knew that their half-backs Burgess and Beauxis had been shaky and if they were to win this game they needed to give the ball to the likes of Yann David and Matanavou who had worried Edinburgh defenders. What did happen, though, was that Edinburgh yapped and snarled, taking on a huge Toulouse team and suffocating them.

Servat was forced to concede a penalty under his own posts and as captain Dusautoir pushed him, clearly disgusted, the referee produced a yellow card. Laidlaw helped himself to the points and when Edinburgh rebounded on a Toulouse scrum minutes later they were pushed even further into a 16-14 lead.

Beauxis had a chance to pull some points back in the 54th minute but the crowd were getting more and more vocal by this point and the stocky French cap could only stick it short. Toulouse looked weary and lacking in ambition, throwing up high kicks for Edinburgh’s cover to field.

On the other side the Gunners were starting to believe in themselves even more. Cross-field kicks began raining down from the boot of Laidlaw and Visser almost burst clear, if only for a fortuitous slip from his opposite man. That ball slid into touch and Toulouse, trying to force themselves into action, attempted to break from a quick lineout.

They lost it, and much like the rest of the half, had to wrestle with an Edinburgh pack determined to inch towards the posts.

Doussain, on for a disappointing Burgess, rarely got clean ball at the back of any lineout or scrum. There was little Toulouse could do as a black and red enforcers clamped on to guddling attackers. Twice Lee Jones flew up and introduced French backs to gravity, and more often than not knock-ons were the result. The crowd lapped it up.

By the time the clock had run into the 79th minute Toulouse exhaustedly gave away another penalty, Man of the Match Laidlaw punched it through to make it 19-14.

Edinburgh had made history.

They now face a trip to the Aviva stadium and a first ever Heineken Cup semi-final. As the 11th side in the RaboDirect Pro12 that is quite a shock, but by the same token it is a hell of a fillip for Scottish Rugby and there will be an awful lot of back-slapping tonight.

Edinburgh Rugby just humbled the best in Europe.

Edinburgh: Brown; L. Jones, De Luca, Scott, Visser; Laidlaw (C), Blair; Jacobsen, Ford, Cross, Gilchrist, Cox, Denton, Rennie, Talei.

Subs: Kelly, Traynor, Gilding, McInally, Grant, Leck, Godman, Thompson.

Toulouse: Jauzion; Matanavou, Fritz, David, Donguy; Beauxis, Burgess; Poux, Servat, Johnson, Maestri, Albacete, Bouilhou, Dusautoir, Picamoles.

Subs: Tolofua, Human, Montes, Lamboley, Doussain, Poitrenaud, Nyanga, Galan.



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Brown Starting To Make His Mark

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April 6, 2012

This time last year, Tom Brown was playing for Currie alongside Matt Scott and had made a few appearances for the 7s squad. Now the pair of them will line up for Edinburgh in front of 35,000 fans in the biggest club game in Scottish rugby history. Scott has one cap under his belt, and Brown may not be far behind.

Despite Edinburgh’s long term incumbent Chris Paterson not being involved with Scotland recently, first injury and now the form of Brown have handed the young full-back his first Heineken Cup start.

“My goal this season was to secure the 15 jersey for Edinburgh” says a tracksuited Brown, surrounded by the venerable members of the Scottish Rugby Press pack. In pressing his own case, Brown has been in great form for Edinburgh, appearing on the wing and at full-back so far this season. Earlier praised by his coach Michael Bradley for his strength under the high ball, as the last line of defence is where Brown sees his future.

The fight to take the 15 jersey away from Paterson and other challengers such as Jim Thompson has been a determined one from Brown, but conducted without any bitterness in the rivalry with one of Scotland’s legends. In fact Paterson has been a mentor, and a “huge help” to him since he signed his first pro contract.

“Mossy has been a help throughout the whole year. He’s a good person to look up to. Getting the nod ahead of him is a huge occasion for me, and I hope to fill his boots well.”

After the team announcement, Paterson shook the younger man’s hand and immediately offered any help he could give Brown through the week of preparation, in terms of help and advice or training.

Since he was told on Tuesday, he’s had a week for the nerves to build in anticipation of facing some of rugby’s aristocrats in the Toulouse backline. But for a young man facing a game that could make his name in the same way as, say Stuart Hogg’s appearances in the Six Nations did for the Glasgow player, he’s not terrified.

“It’s such a big game, so there’s excitement as well.”

Brown is not new to the Heineken Cup completely, having been involved in all Edinburgh’s pool matches from the bench and scoring in the epic Racing Metro match. Even facing an opposite number such as Yannick Jauzion, and with finishers like Lee Jones and Tim Visser queing up alongside him for chances to score, Brown is excited to show what he can do, and perhaps cross the tryline himself.

“I’m going in with a lot of confidence; I’m looking forward to it.”

On his opponents he was also full of praise.

“Looking at French teams, you’ve got to keep playing for 80 minutes, and it’s a back three we’ve got to look out for. Toulouse are a great counter-attacking team… but we’ve done our homework and we’ve got to get them down, get them low and put the pressure back on them through our defence.”

He’s also excited to be lining up alongside a player he knows very well in Scott and who he hopes will provide a spark that can set the Edinburgh backline alight.

“Matty’s been playing brilliantly and taken his opportunities well. I take a lot of confidence from starting with Matt, we’ve played through the age grades and with Currie. With the opportunities the young boys are getting these days, we’re just striving to go further and further.”

“It’s a huge game and to be involved in it I am absolutely delighted, and I can’t wait to get out there.”



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Bradley Building A Buzz

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April 6, 2012

At Michael Bradley’s press conference today, comparisons were drawn with the dawn of Munster’s era in Heineken Cup and the potential this fixture could have – especially with a win – to capture the imagination of supporters. He feels it is key that the fans can “have a relationship with the players and the side,” to get used to and get ownership of the team and the “club”.

With a crowd upwards of 35,000 now expected to pass through the Murrayfield turnstiles, Bradley paid tribute to the work that Craig Docherty and his team have done attracting supporters: “[it] has been superb in terms of getting the message out. There’s a very positive feel-good factor about the challenge we have tomorrow…it’s fantastic for Edinburgh Rugby to be competing in the Quarter Final of Heineken Cup … and the fact we are playing at home gives us a great chance.”

This was, he felt, a clear chance to start building something special in Scottish rugby.

“We see this as a massive opportunity to push on in terms of numbers for next year.” His main point, though, was that on the field Munster qualified for the knockout stages year on year when building their Heineken Cup juggernaut.

“That’s the challenge for next year.”

For now though, Bradley’s focus is very much on tomorrow, and Toulouse.

“I’ve been very mindful it is an occasion we can look back on with a lot of pride but we have a lot of work to do between now and the end of that match Saturday. The focus for us is the 80 minutes. If we do our job properly we have an excellent chance of winning.”

Picked to do the job are an Edinburgh XV containing few surprises. The youthful nature of the Edinburgh back division extends to Tom Brown getting his first Heineken Cup start, a pick made on form at the expense of Chris Paterson.

The first-string pack are settled and appear here as expected, but with Lozada out injured the second row cover is wearing pretty thin. The old guard such as Phil Godman are now increasingly resigned to roles on the bench, or in the case of Chris Paterson, watching from the sidelines.

Bradley praised the players who have deputised over the Six Nations period as “exceptional”, including Talei, Grant and McInally, and said there were a number of close calls in selection.

Speaking on the difference in form between Edinburgh’s league and European performace, Bradley put the difference in form down to taking chances in the Cup but not the RaboDirect PRO12 rather than specific personnel. The first string half-backs Mike Blair and Greig Laidlaw once again start and will look to move Toulouse around the park.

“Before you even see their team announcement, you know they’ll have a powerful pack, and strong. First phase for them is very important and I assume they will attack us there. If they don’t get a return there, it’s open season in terms of the game and how it is played and that’s where we want to get it to.

“We’ve shown in the past over 80 minutes we can turn a perceived advantage into a disadvantage.”

Toulouse themselves have selected from their incredible depth but still manage the odd surprise such as the selection of Yannick Jauzion at fullback.

Having already beaten one team of French and International superstars, Bradley felt Toulouse were a different prospect.

“They’re very athletic, it’s a step up from Racing Metro as their positions in the league in France would suggest, and the history of Toulouse in the competition.

“But the players are gaining confidence playing these big sides, and we take a lot of confidence from the win both home and away.

Bradley was full of praise for the skill of their players saying: “The thing about Toulouse is it doesn’t really matter who they put out on to the park. All of them are exceptional footballers, all of them can do extraordinary things with the ball, you just have to not give them space and time.”

“That’s the job of Edinburgh Rugby on Saturday.”

Edinburgh: Brown, Jones, De Luca, Scott, Visser, Laidlaw, Blair; Jacobsen, Ford, Cross, Gilchrist, Cox, Denton, Rennie, Talei

Replacements: Kelly, Traynor, Gilding, McInally, Grant, Leck, Godman, Thompson

Toulouse: Jauzion, Matanavou, Fritz, David, Donguy, Beauxis, Burgess; Poux, Servat, Johnston, Maestri, Albacete, Bouilhou, Dusautoir (capt), Picamoles
Replacements: Tolofua, Human, Montes, Lamboley, Doussain, Poitrenaud, Nyanga, Galan



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Setting The Scene

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April 3, 2012

As winter swept back into Edinburgh this week, so the hint of excitement around Scottish rugby returns.  A stinking 6 Nations tournament effectively killed the positive vibe that had surrounded Scottish rugby over the winter months.  As January drew to a close, Glasgow were riding high in the Rabo Pro12 and narrowly failed to escape their Heineken Cup pool, while Edinburgh had just booked themselves a Heineken Cup quarter final against the French giants Toulouse.  At home, no less.

It was meant to be this warm fuzzy glow that was going to propel Scotland to a successful RBS 6 Nations tournament.  As we all know, what transpired instead was an insipid tournament followed by the usual spell of navel gazing. However, it’s amazing what a week of sunshine and winning rugby can do for the soul.  With both pro-teams victorious last weekend Edinburgh now go into the biggest game in Scottish club rugby for nearly a decade, hopefully having stopped the rot.

Edinburgh shouldn’t be here.  That was the perceived wisdom amongst the talking heads back in November.  Most predictions had Edinburgh as the Pool 2 make-weights, just there to make up the numbers against Cardiff Blues, London Irish and the Parisians of Racing Metro.  Edinburgh had a tough first game away to London Irish but they stuck it out and got a better start than expected with a 1 point victory (19-20) at the Madjeski Stadium.  If any Edinburgh fans bump into Shontayne Hape anytime soon they may wish to buy him a pint of something nice, his sin binning in the game was crucial to Edinburgh getting a winning platform.  If that victory was important, what happened the following week was improbable.

Edinburgh returned home to face up to Racing Metro at a chilly Murrayfield and what followed was one of the classics of Heineken Cup rugby.  Edinburgh had started like men possessed with Tim Visser scoring inside the first minute and they clocked up 17 points inside the first ten.  The French came back with some exceptional play of their own and by the time the game entered the last 14 minutes they had a hefty 20 point advantage.  Normally this would be game over, but there really was something in the air that night and Edinburgh stormed back (aided by a Racing Metro sin binning) and just kept scoring.  By the time Laidlaw slotted over a conversion from out wide on the left touchline Edinburgh had completed an improbably turnaround to win 48-47.

What followed was two almost ‘normal’ games against Cardiff Blues with both teams winning their home fixtures.  Dan Parks was at his metronomic best in Cardiff, and Cardiff also sneaked a losing bonus point from the match at Murrayfield meaning that Edinburgh would need, in all likelihood, a bonus point victory from one of their last two games.

Edinburgh travelled to Paris in early January knowing that nothing less than a victory would do.  Racing Metro would want revenge.  They didn’t get it.  An inspired Edinburgh back-row (Denton, Rennie and Talei all scored tries) display was the foundation for a strong performance but Racing Metro would not give up. As the game entered the final moments the teams were tied on 24 points each.  Cometh the hour, cometh the ‘World Class’ Phil. Poor Phil Godman, he’s not always a popular player amongst some of us here but he stood up that night in Paris. With the final whistle imminent Godman grew a set of mammoth sized knackers to knock over the winning drop goal.

Edinburgh welcomed London Irish to Murrayfield in the last pool match and, with Cardiff at home to Racing, knew that the bonus point victory was crucial. This was a strange game, the result never really in doubt but the tension was evident as the 10,000+ in attendance kept one ear on the score from Cardiff.  Cardiff won, but crucially without 4 tries. Edinburgh had control of their own destiny. With 8 minutes remaining Edinburgh stepped up a gear and Talei added to earlier scores from Visser and Thompson.  As the clock ticked down Lee Jones was the recipient of some good Edinburgh passing to dot down in the corner.  A comprehensive victory, a bonus point and a ticket to the Quarter Finals.

So, here we are.

Edinburgh have sold over 30,000 tickets for this Saturday’s game and are pushing hard to get more folk in the ground.  After the 6 Nations downer this is the perfect pick-me-up and in many way’s Edinburgh are the perfect antidote to post tournament blues.  They play exciting rugby, attacking with abandon and, at times, with a beautiful disregard to defence and structure.  Sure, they are sitting in the bottom reaches of the RaboDirect Pro12 but their focus has long since switched from the league to Europe.  One thing Edinburgh have shown throughout their European journey has been incredible heart.  The game at home to Racing Metro was as mad as a box full of badgers but was the best game of rugby I’ve ever seen in the flesh.  To grind out narrow victories against Racing Metro (twice) and London Irish (away) shows a determination, and a spirit.

I’m not going to say too much about Toulouse, I’m sure someone else will provide a more detailed view than I could.  All I’ll say is it’s Toulouse, they’re big and bad, pretty and pretty handy.  Filled with genuine and frightening talent they can probably beat any club side, not just in Europe but the world (and probably a few international sides too).  However, as the game is at Murrayfield in front of what we hope is a partisan crowd, perhaps they might lose some of the aura.

The victory over Scarlets at the weekend has come at the perfect time and means Edinburgh can go into this weekend with a spring in their step.  With so many fans coming out this is a prime opportunity for Edinburgh to take club rugby in Scotland to a totally new level.



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The Wonderful Adventure Continues

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January 23, 2012

Edinburgh Rugby 34-11 London Irish

A cold, crisp Sunday and a perfect day for rugby, and a perfect day for an ever improving Edinburgh team to take the next step on the most unlikely of adventures.  If you were to go back several months and ask even the most optimistic of Scottish rugby fans I doubt they would have backed Edinburgh to be looking forward to a home quarter final over the Easter weekend.  In a group with big spending Racing Metro and London Irish along with a very solid Cardiff side, Edinburgh were the ‘experts’ tips as make-weights, there to make up the numbers.  So much for the experts view!

Edinburgh started the tournament with the tightest of victories away to London Irish and finished the group stage with a comprehensive demolition of the same side.  In between they’ve traded blows with Cardiff and have traumatised Racing Metro with dramatic wins.  Yesterday’s game shows just how far Edinburgh have come in such a short time.  Whilst the first game was a battle, yesterday’s match never seemed in doubt.  Despite two very late changes (Paterson and Denton dropping out minutes before kick off) Edinburgh took charge from the off and never let go.  After the game Edinburgh Head Coach Michael Bradley was delighted: “we played well and controlled the first half – we were patient, aggressive and direct”.

London Irish actually scored first, a penalty for a scrum infringement being knocked over by the Irish no. 10, Adrian Jarvis.  Edinburgh, who had started the match well, responded with quick possession in Irish territory.  Having stretched the Irish defence running through phases in which Visser was conspicuously absent, Laidlaw played a lovely half grubber through the defensive line and Visser streaked through to beat the defender to the ball. Laidlaw converted from out wide to bring the score to 7-3. Edinburgh were up and running.

Edinburgh extended their lead when Geoff Cross put a great hit on Corbisiero in a scrum, drawing a penalty in front of the posts.  Laidlaw, whose kicking was fantastic all day, slotted with ease.  As the half wore on Edinburgh grew in stature, executing some lovely handling and quick ball making them a pleasure to watch.  Talei, yet again, was immense.  The pressure told when after several phases deep in the Irish 22 Edinburgh went wide and with 2 men waiting a long pass bounced into the hands of Jim Thompson who had the easy job of running over.  Laidlaw converted from wide out, to give Edinburgh a 20-6 half time lead.

The second half provided an example of the strength of the Edinburgh defence.  For 20 minutes London Irish pounded the Edinburgh try line; the defence was both disciplined and resolute.  Eventually Irish knocked on and then drew a penalty to relieve the pressure.  It really was a fine display of defence, and as much a pleasure to watch as some of the attack.  London Irish finally got through on 66 minutes with the lively substitute Jonathan Joseph going over in the corner, and taking it to 20-11.  The extras were missed, making that the last of the scoring from the visitors.

Edinburgh responded in fine fashion when Talei finished in the corner after extended pressure on the Irish line.  Laidlaw again converted, and sealed the win.  However, Edinburgh knew that if they wanted a home quarter final they needed a bonus point win. Despite butchering a great opportunity from 75 minutes Edinburgh finally got their fourth try, and the crucial bonus point, with just three minutes remaining.  Talei – doing what he had all day – picked from a scrum deep in Irish territory and after gaining serious ground the ball went through a couple of phases to find Lee Jones more than willing to dot down in the corner.  Needless to say Laidlaw converted to finish the scoring at 34-11.  Comprehensive!

After the game Bradley highlighted the impressive crowd (10,892) who turned up to witness a momentous occasion for Edinburgh Rugby.

“This means a hell of a lot.  It’s great to see the size of crowd and week on week it’s building, people are coming back.  It’s very important for Scottish rugby that this continues”.

With Cardiff just failing to get a bonus point victory at home to Racing Metro, Edinburgh were confirmed as Pool winners and will now have a home tie against French giants Toulouse.  Ouch!

“Toulouse at home is much better that Toulouse away,” was Bradley’s response, adding “they can be absolutely stunning in attack but if you do your work properly and are clinical you can put them under pressure. Gloucester did that, Harlequins did that”.

The fact that Edinburgh have a home match cannot be under estimated, it gives them a big advantage for the quarter final (which will take place over the Easter weekend) and this was not lost on the Edinburgh coach.

“It’s a great opportunity, its key that we are at home.  The sides at home have a very good opportunity to progress, that’s where we are and we are delighted at that”

Of course, with the glory comes a financial boost for not just Edinburgh but also for Scottish rugby more generally.  The SRU coffers will be substantially boosted by success and Bradley was quick to point out that this will benefit more that just his own squad.

“The SRU is supporting both professional sides equally… Glasgow get half the share – and they give us half the money for getting to the Rabo Playoffs!”.

It was a fine day for Edinburgh rugby and Scottish rugby in general.  Hopefully the fans will flock back to Murrayfield for the quarter final and continue to support Edinburgh in this most wonderful of adventures.



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Glasgow Snubbed By Sky

Filed Under: News by Dirty Balls — Leave a comment
January 18, 2012

If you look at the Sky Sports page for this final weekend of pool action, you’ll notice that in all the pools you can watch a choice of either final match on the main channel or the red button.

Unless that is, you support Glasgow or Bath.

Chris Masoe (or Craig as he is know over at the Scotsman) has opted to remain in France rather than join Glasgow , and now another snub infinitely more heinous has been delivered by those folks we love to hate, Sky. Yes they provide extensive rugby coverage with the odd decent commentator and we are thankful for it. But they could extend it in the right direction a little better.

A case in point is this weekend in where from Pool 3 you can only watch Leinster – who have already qualified – play against Montpellier – who are unlikely to, unless they get a 5 point win against the champions at home.

Yes, that’s correct. Bath vs Glasgow is the only Heineken Cup pool game not on Sky this weekend. Even Leicester vs Aironi, which has a bearing on absolutely nothing, seems to be getting an airing (although not according to the ERC site).

Thanks Murdoch et al. So if you want to post about the Scottish teams being dismissed as second class broadcast-able citizens in a season that saw (but no-one outside Edinburgh did) the once-in-a-generation match between Edinburgh and Racing Metro, or post about Glasgow possibly having to work without benefit of a TMO in a game that is crucial to their European survival, then this would be the place!

We’d love to hear your thoughts.



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