Darcy Graham scored the try that ensured both Scottish teams are in the Champions Cup quarter-finals for the first time then declared that Edinburgh are ready to take on anyone.
Rated rank outsiders when the competition began and expected to finish bottom of their pool, the little winger and his team-mates secured top spot last night with a 19-10 victory over former Scotland head coach Vern Cotter’s big spending Montpellier. They now look likeliest to face two-time champions Munster, but the elated 21-year-old summed up the mood in the camp after the game when he declared: “I don’t know who we’ve got, but we’ll take on anybody.”
“We’re chuffed to bits. The boys have worked hard. It’s been quite a difficult week. We’ve not been able to get as much training in with the short turn-around, but it shows we can do it.”
The only down-side for the Edinburgh players was the risk that they could cost themselves the services of their inspirational coach Richard Cockerill, who announced afterwards: “Three more wins in this competition and we’re champions of Europe and I’m retiring.”
He was obviously joking, but the Englishman admitted that reaching the last eight had been beyond his wildest hopes when they were drawn with three-time champions Toulon, Montpellier and Newcastle Falcons, noting that: “Europe’s bloody tough and to qualify for a quarter-final is an achievement for any team.”
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