EDINBURGH managed to follow their worst performance of the season with arguably their best on Sunday, running Saracens close in their Champions Cup clash after meekly succumbing to Munster in the league 11 days earlier. And although his team lost 30-26 at the StoneX Stadium, Grant Gilchrist believes that display can inspire the capital club to play at a consistently higher level in the coming weeks – starting on Saturday, when they are at home to Castres in the second round of European pool games.
“I thought that was the best we’ve defended all year,” the Scotland lock said. “We’ve got to make sure that’s a minimum standard for us.
“I’m really proud of the boys, but absolutely gutted, because what we put in I felt was enough to win the game. Saracens have not lost all season [in the league], so we knew the size of the challenge and it shows how well we played.
“But I’m disappointed that we made errors at a few lineouts in the second half and that costs you at Champions Cup level – it’s like a Test match. And if one area of the game doesn’t quite go right, it costs you.”
The curious thing about the 38-17 home loss to Munster was how uncharacteristically tame Edinburgh were in the second half after a promising first 40 minutes. They have lost games before after playing badly, of course, but rarely if ever have they gone down to defeat in such toothless fashion.
“I think that was the first Edinburgh performance I’ve been part of in the last few years that has been like that,” Gilchrist added. “So we never let that happen again – it was unacceptable.
“And we just draw a line in the sand under that. We never go back there again. But Sunday was a lot more like it. Barring a little error here and there at set piece, I thought we were the better side.”
Gilchrist believes Edinburgh will need a similar level of performance at home on Saturday if they are to get the better of Castres. “We undoubtedly will. We’re in the Champions Cup: every team you play is right up there. We just hope for a big crowd on Saturday, and hope that with a performance like that we can really drag the home crowd with us. It would be an awesome win and put us right in the mix, having at least left Saracens with a point.”
