OFFICIALLY, Edinburgh were well understrength for yesterday’s URC match in Parma, being without 10 of their Scotland internationals who were rested ahead of Saturday’s match against Australia. In reality, they were on top of their game – at least, for as long as it took to secure their first away win of the season in some style.
Mike Blair’s team had the bonus point wrapped up some time before the break as they shredded the Zebre defence at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, and they added two more in the second half to make it six touchdowns in total.
Zebre looked a pale shadow of the side that had run the Sharks and Leinster close in their first two outings in this season’s URC, and were hampered by the first-half sending-off of MJ Pelser for a shoulder-to-head contact off the ball on Nick Haining.
But the home team were already 19-0 down by the time they were reduced to 14 men, and would have lost a lot more heavily if they had not slowed the game down as much as possible.
Blair was mildly irked by those time-wasting tactics, but thoroughly satisfied with the way his players went about their business straight from kick-off.
“I thought that when we were on it today we were really good,” the head coach said. “This was a Zebre team who have scored a lot of tries at home and who have been an improving team over the last six months. To come away with the number of guys we didn’t have available was really impressive.
“After half time the game was so stop-start. I don’t know how you stop that. It seemed that the Zebre front row went down at any opportunity, I don’t know if they were struggling or if it was a tactic. On top of the four water breaks you have in a game, it slows everything down and probably reduces it as a spectacle.”
The second half was indeed poor fare, but the free-flowing first 40 more than compensated. Edinburgh took no more than a few minutes to get into their stride, and once they did they were soon on the scoresheet, with hooker Adam McBurney breaking free after a Henry Immelman break.
Jamie Hodgson got the second try from a maul, and then Wes Goosen celebrated his belated debut by claiming the third from a Matt Currie pass. When McBurney got his own second and his team’s fourth from a maul after a penalty had been sent to touch, the game was as good as over.
Emiliano Boffelli, who converted three of the four tries, was shown a yellow card right before the break for a team offence. However, Zebre could not capitalise on being restored to parity of numbers for the first part of the second half, Edinburgh kept up the pressure for a time, and Immelman got their fifth try.
Zebre finally came into the game after that, scoring through Alessandro Fusco from a tap penalty and then Luca Rizzoli from close range.
Currie added a sixth try for the Scots, converted by substitute Charlie Savala, before Jacopo Trulla had the last word for the home side with their third try. Geronimo Prisciantelli converted two of his team’s three tries to lend some respectability to the final score, but it was a solid victory for Edinburgh all the same.
“It was great that Wes got his first game for the club,” Blair said of summer signing Goosen. “He has been pretty frustrated with the start of his season with his niggling injuries, but I thought he did some really positive stuff. Nick Auterac played his first game as well and I’m delighted those guys have joined the club.”
Loosehead prop Auterac is another who has had to wait patiently for his chance. He and a few others will have another opportunity to prove their worth a week today, when Edinburgh again have the depth of their squad tested by an away game, this time in Cardiff.
Scorers, Zebre – Tries: Fusco, Rizzoli, Trulla. Cons: Prisciantelli 2.
Edinburgh – Tries: McBurney 2, Hodgson, Goosen, Immelman, Currie. Cons: Boffelli 3, Savala.
Zebre: L Pani (R Kriel 49); P Bruno, T Boni (C Cook 64), D Mazza, J Trulla; T Eden (G Prisciantelli 59), A Fusco (L Pani 80); J Pitinari (L Rizzoli 53), M Manfredi (G Ribaldi 58), I Neculai (M Hasa 55), D Sisi (captain, A Zambonin 64), L Krumov, L Andreani, M Pelser, T Fox-Matamua (G Venditti 62).
Edinburgh: H Immelman; W Goosen, M Currie, C Dean, E Boffelli (D Hoyland 53); J van der Walt (C Savala 57), C Shiel; B Venter (N Auterac 52), A McBurney (P Harrison 62), L de Bruin (A Williams 52), J Hodgson, S Skinner, N Haining (P Phillips 67), L Crosbie (captain, B Muncaster 25-34, 54), V Mata.
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales).
