THERE are those who would suggest that calling a rugby writer an idiot-savant is a classic example of getting something only half right.

Yet if the emphasis does weigh heavily on the first part of that term, the Rain Man credentials of the rugby commentariat are still reinforced by a seemingly infinite capacity for remembering the names, the numbers, the results and the cap totals that are the currency of the trade.

Yet even we have our limits. We might be able to reel off the middle names of Al Dickinson, Tim Swinson and Dave Denton to order (Granville, Montagu and Kipling if you must know) but the expressions of mild confusion we habitually wear turn to looks of complete befuddlement if we are asked to list the winners of the European Challenge Cup.

And it's easy to see why. Over the course of almost two decades of European rugby, the second-tier competition has routinely been cast as the poor relation of what used to be the Heineken Cup and is now the Champions Cup. While the continent's heavyweights topped the bill, the Challenge Cup's place was on the undercard.

As it happens, the winners have tended to have decent European pedigrees. Leinster and Northampton, victors in 2013 and 204, had both previously lifted the Heineken Cup - three times in Leinster's case - while the 2012 champions Biarritz were two-time Heineken finalists. Sure, the names of Bourgoin, Colomiers and Pau were etched on to the trophy in its early days, but they were all big sides at that time. Even so, being Challenge Cup winners has bestowed the tiniest fraction of the acclaim that has been showered on the winners of the main event.

It is a point worth remembering as Edinburgh prepare to march on Twickenham Stoop on Friday week, when they will to become the first Scottish side ever to appear in a European final. It is a massive achievement by the capital side to win the right to take on Gloucester, and they clinched it in grand manner as they thrashed Newport Gwent Dragons 45-16 at BT Murrayfield last Friday. But it is still a level below where they want to be.

This is no disrespect to the achievements of coach Alan Solomons or his players. In fact, Solomons has all but admitted that clinching the top-six place in the Guinness PRO12 that brings automatic entry into next season's Champions Cup is a more pressing requirement for the club right now. Quite rightly, he wants them to swim with the big fish.

That they are even remotely close to doing so is a huge achievement and a huge credit to Solomons' stewardship of their affairs. Edinburgh were in desperate straits when the South African arrived 20 months ago. Dismissed as 'basket cases' by their SRU owners, their recruitment and conditioning strategies were a shambles, forcing Solomons to bring in a raft of tried-and-trusted southern hemisphere players to steady the ship.

There were many critics. I can say this with some authority because I was one of them. And, to be honest, I am still not wholly convinced that Solomons got it right when he sidelined players like Geoff Cross, Nick de Luca and Lee Jones, all of whom moved on. But there can be no question that he has galvanised the squad during his time in charge, nurturing the sense of collective endeavour they so badly needed. They made a breakthrough a few months ago when they took the 1872 Cup back from Glasgow; they matched the Warriors on the pitch then and there has since been a growing sense that they can match them in terms of team spirit as well.

Solomons has also delivered on his promise to nurture home-grown talent. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne has been sensational in recent weeks, while Hamish Watson is finally living up to the promises his performances as a Scotland under-20 player provided. Magnus Bradbury, who starred for Boroughmuir in their BT Cup final hammering of Hawick last weekend, is another who is expected to shine when he joins Edinburgh's full-time ranks.

So Edinburgh are poised. There are a couple of positions where they should probably be looking to strengthen, and their inconsistency can still be maddening, but they have made huge strides this season. And they can look ahead with confidence.

What is not so certain is the future of Solomons himself. The coach signed a two-year deal when he joined Edinburgh in 2013, and it will expire this summer. His 65th birthday is looming and he is probably not planning on any more globetrotting to pursue his career ambitions. Word is that he wants to stay at Edinburgh, but negotiations to settle that are still ongoing. It will be a disaster for the club if he does not stick around to finish the job.

AND ANOTHER THING

Italy might still be considered newcomers in some quarters, but their backroom officials are still capable of some old-fashioned foot-in-mouth blunders. So it was that Italian rugby federation president Alfredo Gavazzi branded Italian Test players as "pensioners" after they had dropped to 15th in the world rankings. He also suggested that the Italians' international payment structure would be altered to place emphasis on results rather then just appearances.

However, Gavazzi's words did not go down well with Sergio Parisse, the widely admired Italy captain. Parisse has now countered with a social media campaign against the Federation under the hashtag #PortaCiRespetto (give us respect). A number of other Italy players have since taken up the cause. There will only be one winner, and the clever money is not backing Gavazzi