WITH games away to Leinster and Munster to come before they end their season at home to Cardiff Blues, Edinburgh still face an uphill battle to finish in the top half of the PRO12 and claim a Champions Cup slot. But at least, if the evidence of their last two games is anything to go by, they will fight all the way.
A week ago their defence was to the fore as they held out for a 16-15 win at the Dragons. On Friday, after a dismal first half that ended with them just 3-0 ahead of Zebre, they grew stronger as the match wore on, securing a bonus point with their fourth try in the last play of the game.
The 29-0 win over the Italians took Alan Solomons’ team into fifth before yesterday’s games, and the coach was encouraged by the determination of his team to take all five points on offer. “We showed the character and the commitment to hang in right to the end,” Solomons said. “We did leave it rather late, but we got that fourth try, which says a lot for the team. Our first 40 minutes were poor, but we improved in the second half and the important thing is we stuck to the task and we came away with the bonus point.”
Solomons and his squad have accepted for several weeks that a top-four play-off place is probably beyond them, and the coach is unsure how many points they will need in their remaining matches to end up in the top six. What he does know is that, if his team play against Leinster on Friday 15 as they did in the first half against Zebre, they will leave Dublin with no points at all.
“I haven’t worked out permutations, because it’s very difficult to work out what’s going to happen around you. All we’ve done is say we’ve got a bit of a mountain to climb here, but let’s take it one game at a time.
“Leinster is going to be a massive game. They’re a very, very good side and we’re playing them on their home ground. We can’t play like we did in the first 40.
“But the international front row will get the full week off now, which I think they need. John Hardie will be rested and back to fitness, and the other lads will get five days off.”
The low point of the evening came when Mike Coman was forced off after just five minutes with a recurrence of his calf injury. The captain was playing his first game back after that injury, and Solomons’ prognosis for the rest of the season was gloomy.
“He’s been out for a long time,” the coach said of Coman, who will join London Irish in the close season. “It doesn’t look good to me, to be honest. We’ve given it a long time. He’s come through every practice this week.”
Stand-off Jason Tovey, who is on loan from the Dragons, looked entirely at ease in the Edinburgh back line, as if he had been there for years. “When you have your pack dominate like that in the second half it’s an easy ride for a 10,” he said modestly.
As things stand the Welshman is only with Edinburgh for what remains of the season, and Duncan Weir’s move from Glasgow will deny him the regular starting place he wants. But there is little doubt that, with performances like that, he would be a big asset to the squad.
“I’ve been here for two weeks and enjoyed every minute of it,” Tovey added. “We’ll see what happens.”
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