EDINBURGH 18

LONDON IRISH 15

EDINBURGH kept their European Challenge Cup hopes alive with a hard-fought victory over opponents who had inflicted a heavy defeat on them just six days earlier. A late try from John Hardie made the difference between two evenly matched sides, while Tom Brown got the other try for Alan Solomons’ team.

Sam Hidalgo-Clyne claimed Edinburgh’s other points with the boot for a result that puts them on to 12 points in Pool 5. London Irish are also on 12 after getting a bonus point for a narrow defeat, but are officially second thanks to a superior record in the head-to-head games against Edinburgh. Grenoble are two points clear at the top after a 48-45 win at home to Agen.

For much of the first half at the national stadium there was a distinct possibility that a win for Edinburgh would see them end the evening at the top of the pool, as bottom-of-the-table Agen held a surprising lead against their French rivals. In the end, though, a last-gasp score gave Grenoble the home win.

Edinburgh have still to play both French sides, and qualifying for the knockout stages still seems a tall order. After that resounding 38-6 defeat last Saturday, however, they restored a fair deal of pride last night with a far more resolute display, thanks in part to the restoration of some experienced players who were rested last week.

“It was important that we got the win tonight,” Solomons said. “After last week, to lose to them this week would not have been a positive thing for us.

“Our attitude was much, much better. That was the key difference - a much more positive attitude.”

The visitors took a deserved lead after nine minutes when Gerard Ellis barged his way close to the left corner. Shane Geraghty’s conversion attempt was wide.

Edinburgh soon fought back, and after good work by Hardie, Brown got the equalising score. Hidalgo-Clyne, restored to the ranks after injury, converted to put his team ahead. The scrum-half was soon on the mark again with a penalty from just outside the 22 to take the score at the end of the first quarter to 10-5.

That score was not an accurate reflection of a 20-minute spell which had been fairly even, and London Irish soon came close to an equalising try when an excellent off load by Scotland flanker Blair Cowan appeared to have opened up the home defence. However, some excellent scrambling by Edinburgh combined with poor decision-making from Irish attackers combined to snuff out the opportunity.

Geraghty was on target with his second attempt at goal, a penalty with half an hour gone, but it did not take long for Hidalgo-Clyne to restore his team’s five-point lead with a penalty of his own.

A minute before the half-time whistle both teams were forced into changes, with try-scorer Ellis being replaced by Jimmy Stevens and Anton Bresler making way for Jamie Ritchie. The sight of Bresler leaving the field with blood streaming down his face from a head wound was a particularly worry for Solomons given the number of locks who are already on Edinburgh’s injury list.

Matt Scott, so often Edinburgh’s most effective back, did not appear after the interval, being replaced by Andries Strauss. The initial prognosis on both the centre and Bresler is positive, and Solomons hopes to have both men available for next Sunday’s 1872 Cup match against Glasgow.

London Irish put a lot of pressure on Edinburgh in the opening stages of the second half, but it took them until the hour mark to make that pressure tell.

After coming close to scoring through a maul in the left corner, they moved the ball infield and Tom Smallbone, who had only been on the field for a few minutes, finished off the move. Geraghty’s conversion gave his team a 15-13 lead.

Hidalgo-Clyne could have put Edinburgh back in front two minutes later but his penalty was just wide of the posts. The scrum-half next set up a promising attack after breaking free just inside the visitors’ half, but Damien Hoyland was tackled into touch a few metres short of the line.

It was the most enterprising moment of the game from Edinburgh up to that point, and it appeared to inspire the whole team to lift their game as the match entered the last ten minutes. They continued on the offensive after a mistake by Irish gave them a lineout, and just as the attack seemed to have been held up John Hardie burst through for his team’s second try of the night. Hidalgo-Clyne was again off target with the conversion attempt, but the score still gave Edinburgh a precious three-point lead with time running out.

Irish were not quite finished yet, but a promising attack was ended when the referee awarded Edinburgh a penalty. With under a minute on the game clock the ball was safely sent into touch, and although there was time for the lineout to be taken, the Scottish team dealt with it calmly then sent the ball out of play for a potentially valuable win.

EDINBURGH: Tries: Brown, Hardie. Con: Hidalgo-Clyne. Pens: Hidalgo-Clyne 2.

LONDON IRISH: Tries: Ellis, Smallbone. Con: Geraghty. Pen: Geraghty.

Edinburgh: G Tonks ( J Cuthbert 58); D Hoyland, M Allen, M Scott (A Strauss 41), T Brown; P Burleigh, S Hidalgo-Clyne; R Sutherland, R Ford, WP Nel, A Bresler (J Ritchie 39), A Toolis, M Coman, J Hardie, C du Preez. Unused substitutes: N Cochrane, A Dell, S Berghan, M Bradbury, S Kennedy.

London Irish: T Ojo; A Lewington (F Mulchrone 62), T Fowlie, J Williams, A Fenby; S Geraghty (C Noakes 73), D Allinson (S Steele 71); T Court (T Smallbone 56), G Ellis (J Stevens 39), B Franks, E Sheriff, N Rouse (D Sisi 59), B Cowan, C Gilsenan (J Trayfoot 59), O Treviranus. Unused substitute: L Halavatau.

Referee: D Wilkinson (Ireland). Attendance: not available.