A REMARKABLE and heroic comeback by 14-man Edinburgh earned them an unlikely win that puts them in pole position in the European Challenge Cup pool. They had fallen 17 points behind and then went man down when Phil Burleigh, the centre, was sent off, but found the power to rescue the result.
Burleigh seemed a bit unlucky to see red, it looked more of a push than a punch and there is no doubt that Pascal Pape, the French side’s captain, made a meal of it as he collapsed dramatically, but it was still idiotic to put his side under that pressure.
Things had gone wrong for Edinburgh from the start, with a penalty straight from the kick off putting them under pressure as Stade kicked for the corner. Two more penalties from the resulting line-out drives and the French opened out to a huge overlap with Waisea Vuidravuwalu, the centre, crashing over for the opening try.
For the Scots, bad was soon worse as the visitors used more infringements by the home side to manoeuvre their way into the Edinburgh 22 for Morne Steyn their Springbok fly-half, to drop a goal. At 10 points down with the game hardly started, they were right up against it with a string of further penalties keeping the pressure on and stifling the few attacking chances that did come Edinburgh’s way.
So it was no real surprise when a flurry of Edinburgh errors, including allowing themselves to be driven off their own ball, handed the French another attacking platform and this time it was Sekou Macalou, the flanker, who was put into space to drive through the home defence and hold out the last tackler for the try that put his side 17 points ahead.
Even losing a man to the sin bin when Paul Williams, the centre, was judged to have tipped Viliame Mata, the Edinburgh flanker, upside down, did not make a significant dent in the French superiority. They did give away one penalty under their posts for Duncan Weir to make sure Edinburgh registered some points, but when they were that far behind they needed more – a lot more.
The reduced deficit did not even last long as the Scots coughed up more possession and when they were penalised deep in their own half, Steyn landed the kick to restore the 17-point cushion.
The second half saw the Scots start to tighten up on their mistakes and begin to make a fight of it with a superb try. It came off a set-piece move with Damien Hoyland coming off his wing to cut behind a couple of dummy runners, straighten the attacking line and go over himself.
Though Weir missed the conversion it put a spring back in the Edinburgh game and soon they were right back in the contest as they won a line-out five yards out, drove it and were rewarded with a try credited to Ben Toolis, the lock. With Weir converting, they were back within five points.
Burleigh’s indiscipline might have cost his team more, but it only seemed to inspire his team who were quickly back on the attack with Hoyland racing away down the wing.
He was stopped short but the ball was recycled and after the forwards had been held short, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne,the scrum-half had the space to nip over. Weir converted and when the scrum won a penalty under the French posts, the Scots were in front for the first time.
They had to resist a late surge from Stade as they knocked on going for the line, but Weir’s late kick made it safe.
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