Edinburgh hang on to make stunning start in URC with new brand of rugby as summer signing shines

They looked to be cruising to victory in Belfast with a display of attacking rugby rarely seen in the Sean Everitt era. They led 34-5 after 48 minutes, the try bonus point safely secured, but proceeded to see their lead whittled away by hosts who scored 25 unanswered points in the final 24 minutes.

Make no mistake, Edinburgh were hanging on but they showed good character to win two important turnovers in the dying minutes through young replacements Jerry Blyth-Lafferty and Euan McVie.

That will please head coach Everitt who overhauled his coaching staff over the summer after a disappointing 12th place finish in the URC.

Freddy Douglas, Malelili Satala, Hector Patterson and Piers O’Conor were the Edinburgh try-scorers as they secured a precious away win, something they managed only twice throughout the entirety of last season in the URC.

James Grayson, their new conductor at 10, had a fine evening, orchestrating the Edinburgh attack with aplomb. Props too to Douglas who had another solid game, winning some vital turnovers.

Edinburgh’s failure to make the play-offs last season meant their campaign finished on May 15, more than four months ago, but there was little sign of rust. They started well and had the upper hand throughout the first half.

They were bright and patient and were unfazed when Grayson hit the post with a simple penalty. It was about the only thing the stand-off did wrong. Signed in the summer from the Mitsubishi Dynaboars, he pushed and probed and kept the visitors on the front foot. Bringing him to the club already feels like good business.

It was a Grayson grubber that led indirectly to the first Edinburgh try. Harri Morris stole the subsequent lineout and the visitors swarmed around the Ulster line, with Douglas forcing his way over. Grayson converted and added a penalty four minutes later to nudge Edinburgh 10-0 ahead.

It seemed to finally wake Ulster up and they scored a try from the restart through full-back Michael Lowry after his opposite number, O’Conor, was sucked in. Edinburgh hit back through a second Grayson penalty, won after a Douglas jackal, and Everitt’s team finished the half by scoring their second try.

Grayson was involved again but there was a touch of luck about this one. His kick ricocheted off an opponent and Liam McConnell grabbed the bouncing ball and fed Satala who finished with a theatrical leap. Grayson’s conversion saw Edinburgh go in at the break 20-5 ahead.

There was no let-up in the second half as Edinburgh extended their lead within two minutes, and what a try it was. Their attack was flowing and the ball was shipped wide to Satala before he played it back inside to Patterson who sped over the line. Grayson added the extras to make it 27-5.

Ulster thought they had pulled a try back but David McCann’s foot went into touch and Edinburgh bounced back with their fourth try, securing the bonus point in the 48th minute. It was another free-flowing move, sparked by Grayson as O’Conor exchanged passes with Patterson then finished things off.

Now leading 34-5, Edinburgh appeared to be home and dry but Ulster found fresh energy and seized control of the game with three quickfire tries, all converted by Jack Murphy. Zac Ward scored in the corner from a looped pass by Jamie Benson before McCann finished off a brilliant passing move.

Replacement Keynan Knox then battered his way over and suddenly Edinburgh's lead had been reduced to eight points with 16 minutes remaining. O’Conor’s high tackle on Zac Ward led to an Ulster penalty and they opted to kick it, Murphy cutting the visitors’ advantage to a mere five points.

The home side kept coming but Edinburgh managed to repel them and finished the match in the Ulster half, kicking the ball dead to secure a fraught victory.

Scorers: Ulster: Tries: Lowry, Ward, McCann, Knox. Cons: Murphy 3. Pen: Murphy.

Edinburgh: Tries: Douglas, Satala, Patterson, O’Conor. Cons: Grayson 4. Pens: Grayson 2.

Ulster: 15. Michael Lowry (CAPT); 14. Robert Baloucoune, 13. Ben Carson, 12. Jamie Benson, 11. Aitzol Arenzana-King; 10. Jack Murphy, 9. Conor McKee; 1. Eric O’Sullivan, 2. James McCormick, 3. Eduardo Bello, 4. Eli Snyman, 5. Ben Donnell, 6. David McCann, 7. Martin Moloney, 8. James McNabney.3

Replacements: 16. Henry Walker, 17. Tom McAllister, 18. Keynan Knox, 19. Harry Sheridan, 20. James McKillop, 21. Matthew Devine, 22. Jake Flannery, 23. Zac Ward

Edinburgh: 15. Piers O’Conor; 14. Malelili Satala, 13. Matt Currie (co-capt), 12. Kienan Higgins, 11. Geordie Gwynn; 10. James Grayson, 9. Hector Patterson; 1. Alec Hepburn, 2. Harri Morris, 3. Paul Hill, 4. Callum Hunter-Hill, 5. Glen Young, 6. Liam McConnell, 7. Freddy Douglas, 8. Magnus Bradbury (co-capt).

Replacements: 16. Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, 17. James Whitcombe, 18. D’arcy Rae, 19. Euan McVie, 20. Tom Currie, 21. Conor McAlpine, 22. Cammy Scott, 23. Rory McHaffie.

Referee: Federico Vedovelli (FIR)