You’ve heard of a game of two halves. This was a game with a half of two halves. The opening 20 mins could have been a bit of a disaster for Edinburgh.
They didn't get out of their own half and Scarlets exposed the defence out wide a couple of times. Scarlets scored 1 unconverted try and saw 17 points in disallowed tries and missed penalties go astray for one reason or another.
But then Ben Vellacot’s quick tap and go from his own 5 yard line, BBMs hit on Hardy at a lineout, Crosbie and Mcinally winning a penalty for Scarlets holding on in the ruck and then Grahams quick tap that ultimately led to Edinburgh’s first try all played a big part in turning the tables on Scarlets in the first half.
All of those little moments spanned only around 5 minutes!
Graham was of course tackled into touch but Scarlets lost the lineout and eventually the ball found its way to Kinghorn. He stepped between 2 Scarlets defenders confusing them. He then passed to Bennett but continued his run and the centre quickly gave him the ball back in space to run in under the posts.
9 minutes later Mark Bennett continued his try a game run this season by crashing over on the blind side after a series of pick and gos.
By now Edinburgh really had their dander up and Scarlets looked a little lost. They did manage a 3 pointer to keep the game within a score but almost straight from the restart Edinburgh were back on the front foot.
Scarlets had possession at a ruck but with Vellacott harassing Kieran Hardy at the base Ref Andrew Brace indicated that the ball was out. Vellacott snaffled it, BBM took it forward a few feet and Darcy Graham picked it up and danced through 5 Scarlets defenders like the invisible man making his way to the Up & Under bar on an international Saturday and scored to make the score 19-8 at HT.
Scarlets had another try disallowed at 48 minutes after a great tackle from Graham but again it seemed to highlight a vulnerability out wide. They finally got one allowed a few minutes later when Hardy stepped through a gap just outside Pierre Schoeman. The try was converted so for all the dominance that Edinburgh had in the latter part of the first half they were only 4 points to the good.
Darcy Graham secured the bonus point for Edinburgh at 58 minutes and in the process ensured that the Can Can will be a new favourite anthem at ERS.
Scarlets made the last 15 minutes a little tense with another try which again was through the wider channel.
Edinburgh however held on to take the win and the 5 points
Edinburgh’s last game of the 2020-2021 season was also against Scarlets and as you’ll recall it ended in a 28-28 draw.. That is a broadly similar scoreline to Saturday's game. That is where the similarities end however. In the Rainbow Cup match Edinburgh bossed the territory and possession (64% and 62%) and in the match at ERS the numbers were 44% territory and 52% possession. You'd assume that with all that extra time on the ball back in June we’d have posted some big numbers in attack. You’d be wrong.
So, less possession and territory yet the game from the weekend clearly evidenced a more attacking threat from Edinburgh.
The other side of that coin is that Edinburgh conceded twice as many penalties this time around than they did in the game in June. 18 in total. That may just be the price for the way we are trying to play at least at this stage anyway. Scarlets only conceded 6. I expect if we had managed to match that number and still played the way we did we would have blown them away.
It was a hugely encouraging and entertaining display by Edinburgh. A word of caution though. All the Scarlets tries came out wide and they could have had several more points but for TMO intervention. I’m sure Mike Blair and his coaching team will have noted this and the penalty count and I'd expect an improvement in both areas for next week's trip to Parma.
My season expectation meter has jumped a few points after this game.
Worth Noting
Kinghorn had a very assured performance at 10 in general. The height of his kick offs always allows for competition.
Gilchrist was immense at the lineout.
Vellacott was just a revelation all over the park.
Bennett looks like a man on a mission.
The noise and atmosphere inside ERS is night and day to the main bowl at Murrayfield.
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