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Unbeaten Edinburgh: 'There’s a long way to go... we will enjoy it while it lasts'
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Edinburgh Rugby remain top of the table after making it four wins out of four to equal their best start to a league season in 11 years.
They ran in five tries in beating the 10Bets Lions 31-10 at the Hive Stadium, with scrum-half Hector Patterson – who has just signed a contract extension – crossing twice in a Player of the Match performance.
Head coach Sean Everitt said: “It’s great that we are able to build momentum early in the competition. Momentum is always a good thing.
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“There’s a long way to go, we know that.
“I am just happy that we got the result and, in these conditions, a bonus point too.
United Rugby Championship
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Edinburgh
4
4
0
0
19
2
Glasgow
4
3
0
1
18
3
Bulls
4
3
1
0
16
4
Stormers
4
3
1
0
16
5
Sharks
4
3
1
0
15
6
Leinster
4
2
2
0
13
7
Ospreys
4
2
2
0
11
8
Connacht
4
2
2
0
10
9
Munster
4
1
2
1
10
10
Cardiff Rugby
4
2
2
0
9
11
Lions
4
2
2
0
9
12
Dragons RFC
4
1
2
1
9
13
Ulster
4
0
2
2
9
14
Scarlets
4
1
3
0
8
15
Benetton
4
0
3
1
6
16
Zebre
4
0
4
0
2
“The guys managed the game well and the passes stuck. I just thought they showed bravery with ball in hand.
“Then, in defence, to concede one try against a dangerous Lions team shows the effort the boys put in.”
Everitt added: “There’s a good vibe at the moment and obviously winning does bring that.
“We have been on the other side where we haven’t won every week or lost three or four in a row and that’s tough.
“So we will enjoy it while it lasts.”
Glasgow Warriors have retained second spot after securing a dramatic late 24-20 victory over Benetton Rugby in Treviso.
They trailed 17-0 early in the second half and then 20-17 going into the dying embers of the game.
But, two minutes from time, replacement lock Jare Oguntibeju forced his way over to secure the victory and a four-try bonus point.
The Vodacom Bulls are in third after claiming the maximum haul in a 34-26 win against Ulster Rugby at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld.
It finished four tries apiece, with Bulls flanker Marcell Coetzee and Ulster winger Chay Mullins both crossing twice.
In the end, it was the place kicking of Springboks star Handre Pollard that proved the difference as he landed five successful shots at goal, while fellow fly-half Curwin Bosch added a last minute penalty to deny the visitors a second losing bonus point.
The DHL Stormers are in fourth after figuring in the highest scoring game of the weekend – a 52-40 victory over the Scarlets in Cape Town, where there were no fewer than 14 tries scored in all.
Having trailed 33-14 at the break, the Welsh visitors got it back to 40-40 with 14 minutes to go as centre Joe Roberts completed a hat-trick.
But a brace of late touchdowns from replacement fly-half Yaqeen Ahmed saw the Stormers come away with the spoils, leaving the six-try Scarlets having to settle for one losing bonus point.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks lie fifth having also come on strong in the latter stages, scoring three tries in the final quarter to secure a 36-21 bonus point victory over Cardiff Rugby at the Arms Park.
It was a notable scalp for the visitors from Durban as Cardiff hadn’t lost at home since last December.
Leinster’s win against Munster has taken them up to sixth, while the Ospreys have leapt into seventh spot with their own derby day triumph against Dragons RFC.
Completing the top eight are Connacht Rugby who ran in eight tries during a 48-27 win over Zebre Parma in Galway, with hooker Dave Heffernan snapping up a double.
In all, the eight URC games over the weekend produced a total of 456 points at an average of 57 points per game, while there were 69 tries scored at an average of 8.6 per match.
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