Young Edinburgh Rugby show their gutsy side in topsy-turvy clash with Zebre

It took a late, late try from Boan Venter and a conversion from Cammy Scott to wrest the game from the Italians who had led 30-24 going into the final minute. The big Edinburgh prop forced his way over from close range and Scott kicked the extras from in front of the posts with the clock showing 79:59 to give the home side a 31-30 bonus-point victory.

It was a topsy-turvy game in which the lead changed hands seven times and it was certainly one to remember for Hector Patterson. The scrum-half was making his competitive debut but played with the composure of a veteran and marked the occasion with a try. Patterson, who came through the ranks at Hawick and is the son of former Scotland No 9 Derrick, looks as if he could have a promising future.

Neither side had anything tangible to play for but that didn’t stop this being a full-blooded affair. Zebre are the United Rugby Championship's traditional basement dwellers but Edinburgh have already lost to them this season and tend to struggle when they come up against the side from Parma.

This was another battle but they got there in the end, thanks to two tries from man-of-the-match Ewan Ashman and one apiece from Connor Boyle, Patterson and Venter.

Patterson settled into the game quickly and his early box kick put the visitors on the back foot. It was a bright start by Edinburgh and the first try quickly followed. Piers O’Conor went close before Boyle picked up and piled over. Ross Thompson converted but any notion that this would be a comfortable evening for the home side was dispelled by two Zebre tries in four minutes.

The quick-thinking Alessandro Fusco got the first, taking a quick tap penalty as Edinburgh dithered. Giovanni Montemauri added the extras and Zebre took the lead soon after. The Italians had penalty advantage when the ball was flipped wide from Montemauri to Jacopo Trulla and then to Simone Gesi who scored in the corner.

Montemauri couldn’t convert this one but Zebre now had a 12-7 lead. Edinburgh got back on terms in the 19th minute and it was a score to remember for debutant Patterson. O’Conor’s grubber was collected by the lively Mali Satala who passed back inside to the scrum-half who had to juggle quickly before readjusting and getting the ball down. It was a composed finish by the young man. Thompson made it 14-12 and Edinburgh stretched their lead four minutes before the break when Ashman crashed over after Pierre Schoeman had been stopped short.

Thompson was off target this time and Zebre cut Edinburgh’s lead to 19-15 via a penalty from Montemauri with the last kick of the half.

The Parma team then silenced the home crowd by regaining the lead five minutes into the second half with the try of the night. Their winger, Malik Faissal, beat Satala in the air and there then followed some brilliant improvisation. There were one-handed offloads from Giovanni Licata and Matteo Canali before the ball was worked wide for full-back Jacopo Trulla to score in the corner, his fourth try in four games.

Liam McConnell was the victim of a dangerous clearout and things started to get a bit spicy. There was a huge hit on Boyle which looked legal but tempers frayed and Marshall Sykes and Giacomo Ferrari were in the thick of it amid some pushing and shoving. Referee Christopher Allison had a word with both captains and then, crucially reversed the penalty he had awarded to Zebre.

It was a good break for Edinburgh and they made the most of it. They kicked to the corner and from the resulting lineout maul, Ashman bagged his second try of the night. Edinburgh now led 24-20 going into the final quarter.

Seven minutes later their advantage was cut to a single point by Montemauri’s second penalty of the night. Things were starting to get fraught and worse was to follow for the home side. Zebre were exerting huge pressure on the Edinburgh line but Matteo Nocera looked like he had been held up. However, a TMO check overturned the on-field decision and a try was awarded to the Italian sub. Montemauri’s conversion edged Zebre 30-24 ahead with only six minutes remaining.

Edinburgh, to their credit, didn’t panic. The lineout had been an effective weapon for them all night and they used it once again to turn the screw on the visitors. They kept up the pressure and won a penalty close to the posts. Ashman went close but was just short. Venter, a second-half replacement, took it on and powered over at the posts. Scott converted with a second remaining on the clock. There was just time for a restart and Edinburgh were able to gather before Scott kicked the ball deal to seal the win.

Edinburgh Rugby 31-30 Zebre details

Scorers: Edinburgh: Tries: Boyle, Patterson, Ashman 2, Venter. Cons: R Thompson 2, Scott.

Zebre: Tries: Fusco, Gesi, Trulla, Nocera. Cons: Montemauri 2. Pens: Montemauri 2.

Edinburgh: P O’Conor; D Graham, M Tuipulotu, F Thomson, M Satala (J Brown 66); R Thompson (C Scott 50), H Patterson (B Vellacott 68); P Schoeman (B Venter 56), E Ashman, O Blyth-Lafferty (P Hill 47), M Sykes (G Young 73), G Gilchrist, L McConnell (T Currie 66), F Douglas (D Richardson 56), C Boyle.

Zebre Parma: J Trulla; M Faissal, L Morisi (T Dominguez 65), D Mazza, S Gesi; G Montemauri, A Fusco; P Buonfiglio (M Hasa 52), G Quattrini (S Klein 60), I Neculai (M Nocera 56), M Canali, A Ortombina (L Krumov 60), G Ferrari (I Bianchi 68), S Locatelli, G Licata. Replacements not used: M Roger Farias, E Lucchin.

Referee: C Allison (SARU).

Attendance: 6,818.