'I'm not relieved - just disappointed' - Edinburgh Rugby react to narrow win over Opsreys

“I'm not relieved - I'm just disappointed we didn't get the bonus point,” he said. “I thought we fought well throughout the game against a team that defended really well and caused a bit of hassle at the breakdown, which allowed them to be able to get off the line again.

“I wasn't expecting a spectacle when you've got guys coming back on Tuesday from playing international rugby on Sunday. Obviously, time on the field will tell.

“If you look at all the games [in the URC] today and last night, there were some teams that were struggling with cohesion. It's not an excuse. We know our systems.”

No doubt they do, but there was an element of rustiness about Edinburgh’s attempts to put that knowledge into practice. That much was evident right from the start, when some unforced errors denied them the score that might just have settled nerves.

In the end, it was the Ospreys - minus 22 players through either international duty or injury - who took the lead, thanks to an inventive counter-attack. Evardi Boshoff was hauled down close to the home line, but Luke Davies was up in support to catch the pop-up pass then touch down.

To their credit, Edinburgh stuck to their task without being unduly affected by that setback, and their efforts paid dividends when Tom Currie crashed over close to the left corner.

Five minutes into the second half, Ospreys regained the lead. Ross Moriarty launched an attack with a strong fend, and in the end Phil Cokanasiga had the strength to force his way over the line.

Edinburgh upped the tempo in response, and drew level ten minutes later when Harri Morris finished off from a lineout maul. Ross Thompson’s conversion - the first successful effort on goal of the evening - put his team 12-10 up.

Then, inside the last ten minutes, Edinburgh struck again. An attacking scrum gave them a promising platform, Findlay Thomson sent a grubber towards the posts, and Harry Paterson won the race to the ball. Cammy Scott converted to make it 19-10.

With three tries scored, Edinburgh went in search of the fourth which would have given them the bonus point and added a cheerier aspect to an unsatisfactory evening. In the event, though, the last score of the night went the way of the Ospreys, when Evardi Boshoff scored in the corner and Jack Walsh converted to make it a two-point game again.

Next up for Edinburgh at the Hive next Sunday is a Champions Cup game against three-times European champions Toulon. Everitt will bring more of his front-rank internationals back into the side for that one, and he is hopeful of a slicker performance.

“Toulon is on Sunday, which gives us an extra day to prepare - which is something that we need at the moment,” he said. “With everyone coming back in this week in different stages and a couple of guys resting, maybe there was a bit of lack of cohesiveness. But we should have that right by next Sunday.”