Burleigh makes flying start for Edinburgh

The prize was a place in the European Challenge Cup final at Twickenham Stoop on May 1, but as the celebrations broke out around Murrayfield at the finish the question hanging in the Edinburgh air was why Burleigh had not filled the playmaker's role more often. After all, when he moved to Scotland last summer, Edinburgh coach Alan Solomons made it clear that he had recruited the former Highlanders player with that very job in mind.

Since when, the slot has mostly been filled by Greig Tonks or Tom Heathcote, with trialist Jade Te Rure also given a couple of runs. Yet Burleigh's assured performance was probably the best display of game- management any Edinburgh player has delivered in years.

So a word of caution might be required. For what Burleigh experienced against the Dragons was the kind of armchair ride that came with plumped-up cushions, a comfy footstool and a couple of cold beers close at hand. In front of him, he had a pack in pulverising form, a scrum-half with a rocket-propelled pass and an opposition team with all the raw menace of an anaesthetised gerbil. In other words, he had it easy.

Which is not to denigrate the fellow, merely to point out that he was hardly tested. At times, the Dragons defence could scarcely have signalled their absence more clearly had they left a note out for the milkman, so Burleigh enjoyed - quite literally - a field day with his raking kicks to the corners. After which, the massively superior Edinburgh line-out did the rest.

Yet even with the catastrophic shortcomings of the opposition taken into account, Burleigh and Edinburgh were superb. This was by far the best performance of Solomons' two seasons in charge: skilful, passionate, focused and relentless. They will not have it so easy in the final, but with the recent experience of their away victory over London Irish at the quarter-final stage they can travel to London confident in the knowledge that they can beat an Aviva Premiership side on English soil.

Burleigh was at outside centre in that match two weeks ago. Their 23-18 victory over the Exiles showed a lot of grit and character, qualities that were hardly obvious when they backed it up by being drubbed 34-3 by Munster at Murrayfield the following weekend. As far as Burleigh is concerned, the complacency alarm bell has now been sounded.

"After the game the boys were not jumping around," said Burleigh on Friday evening. "We knew we had done a good job, but we want to win that final and that has been our goal right from the start. We are looking forward to it.

"I think if we play to our potential we will give any team a good run. You saw that tonight. We still made quite a few mistakes, so there is still a bit of room for improvement. We're going to have to be at our best.

"The guys took a lot of confidence out of that result [against London Irish]. Last week's game against Munster really hit home and we were really disappointed, but fingers crossed we can have a real crack in the final."

The next item on Edinburgh's agenda is Friday's Guinness PRO12 clash with Zebre at Murrayfield. It is not the sort of fixture to stir the blood, but in coldly analytical terms it is arguably more important than the Challenge Cup final.

A thumping win could propel the club into the top six of the PRO12 table, a position that would give them a place in next season's top-tier Champions Cup. In terms of status and finance, that would be more significant than the trophy on offer at the Stoop.

Yet the Zebre game also presents Solomons with a dilemma. The desire for PRO12 points fills one side of the scales, but the need to rest and protect key players weighs heavily on the other. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne has emerged as the heartbeat of the side and the most potent attacking weapon, but would Solomons dare risk the scrum-half in a game where, frankly, the result could probably be sewn up by a lesser player?

The standard course of action in such scenarios is to pick an under- strength starting side but have a weighty bench waiting in the wings if the cavalry is required. Edinburgh certainly have strength in depth in the front five at the moment, and there is a powerful case for resting players there, especially as so many of them were also heavily involved in the Six Nations.

But what of Burleigh, the fly-half elect? If he is to fill that slot in the final then the argument for giving him more game time there must also be taken on board. If nothing else, Solomons needs to know that the Dragons game was not a one-off.

"Phil is a fantastic 10," said the coach. "I've spoken to him about this and am surprised that in New Zealand they never played him there. Phil is the absolute New Zealand first and second five-eighth. He is an outstanding rugby player and we saw that in this game."

Burleigh describes himself as a utility player, but it was clear on Friday evening that he was tempted by the idea of becoming a fly-half who can do the odd shift in the centre rather than the opposite.

"I enjoy playing anywhere, wherever I'm needed," he said. "So long as we are winning games then I'm happy. It's totally up to Solly [Solomons] where I play. Obviously, I've got to perform in that position, but I really enjoyed tonight so I would love to play there a little bit more."

He may only have been around a few months - he signed a two-year deal last summer and is hoping it will be extended - but Burleigh appreciates the significance of what Edinburgh have now achieved.

"There is a lot of experience in this team," he said. "There are guys who have been here for a number of years. Before the game I could feel that the boys were really up for it. You could see it in the eyes of the guys who had been here a long time - they wanted it."