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Edinburgh go top for first time since 2009/10 Celtic League season
Edinburgh shot to the top of the United Rugby Championship table after bagging four first-half tries against Cardiff. The Scottish capital side won 34-10 to reach the summit of a combined league table for the first time since the 2009/10 Celtic League season.
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The first-half tries came from each of Mike Blair’s starting centres – James Lang and Mark Bennett – and wingers Ramiro Moyano and Emiliano Boffelli. Cardiff played the final quarter with 14 men after both Liam Belcher and James Botham were driven off injured, the latter after a lengthy spell of treatment.
They initially fared better after the stoppage, with Owen Lane breaking away to score their only try, although Bennett added his second of the day late on. Edinburgh’s previous game was a European Challenge Cup win over Saracens four weeks earlier, but they showed no sign of rustiness as they crossed twice inside nine minutes.
The opener came after Magnus Bradbury forced a turnover deep inside Edinburgh’s half. The hosts moved the ball to the right and Lang spotted a gap to burst forward before offloading for scrum-half Ben Vellacott to set up Moyano.
The second try soon came in similar circumstances when Bennett saw the space to break the Cardiff line and feed Boffelli. Edinburgh defended well when they had to and were quickly over after a scrum on the half-hour mark, with Bennett exchanging passes with Boffelli before crossing.
? @EdinburghRugby open the scoring in some style!#URC | #EDICAR pic.twitter.com/2m4Dva03kB
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) January 8, 2022
Another scrum deep in Cardiff territory led to the bonus-point try in the final minute of the half. Blair Kinghorn found Jamie Ritchie on the right wing with a long pass and the Scotland forward laid it off for Lang to cross. Boffelli kicked seven first-half points, with Rhys Priestland’s penalty the only positive for the visitors. Moyano came close to another try after running through a series of tackles from ten metres inside his own half, but the second half was more scrappy, with Cardiff’s double injury blow coming around the 57-minute mark.
The visitors got their try just after the hour mark. Kinghorn spilt Ritchie’s pass and Lane broke away before dribbling the ball over the line to dive for his fourth try of the URC season. Cardiff briefly threatened an unlikely comeback when Tomos Williams intercepted, but he lacked support and Edinburgh got back on top. The hosts had a number of late chances and Bennett supplied an impressive 35-metre finish to round off the win.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments