Kingsholm Stadium

Gloucester 15-10 Edinburgh

6th December 2024

What does it say that Edinburgh Rugby made eight changes to tonight's starting line-up, from the XV who began the previous week's impressive 50-point scoring victory over Benneton?  

One of two things, I suppose: either the Edinburgh management felt they had no real interest in winning this match, so rested their top names, or felt the opposition were so weak that a clutch of the reserves should be able to see them off.  Given this was an English Premiership side they were playing, I rather think the former scenario was the more likely.  

Which I found more than a little odd, for this was a Gloucester side hardly pulling up any trees, having won three and lost four of their league matches so far this season.  So, this looked an eminently winnable tie - or would have been if only Edinburgh had decided not to leave the likes of Darcy Graham, Duhan Van Der Merwe, Ally Price, Pierre Schoeman, Ewan Ashman and Hamish Watson at home.  Although, I appreciate one or more of these individuals may have been injured.  

Nevertheless, it did appear to be a voluntarily weakened side selected by Edinburgh. 

This fact was clearly demonstrated in two incidents early in the first half.  Ten minutes in, after winning a line-out on the Scottish 10m line, the Gloucester pack seemingly effortlessly bulldozed their way over the line for hooker Seb LAKE to score the game's opening try.  Would they have managed this so easily against Edinburgh's first choice pack?  I rather doubt it.  

Twelve minutes later, Edinburgh turned over the ball and it swiftly found it's way to Nathan Sweeney out on the left wing.  Had this been Van Der Merwe receiving the ball, I could imagine the Scotland winger putting on the afterburners and leaving the chasing homesters in his wake.  Instead, you could tell Sweeney was already looking to turn infield and offload.  Which he did - but into a pair of Gloucester hands.   

What was a 7-0 lead for the home side at this point, really could easily have been a 7-0 lead for Edinburgh, had the big lads been on the pitch.

Edinburgh, to be fair, were soon level, when Wes GOOSEN danced through some rather effete tackling from the hosts to score under the posts.  

7-7 the first-half ended, but Gloucester soon edged in front after the break with a penalty scored by Argentinian Antonio Carreras.  Then the score which would ultimately decide the outcome of the match arrived in the 64th minute, as the Gloucester pack trundled over the line once more, for Albert TUISUE to score an almost carbon copy of his side's first-half try.  Edinburgh were, it has to be said, down to 14 players at this point; Marshall Sykes temporarily sitting proceedings out, following a clumsy tackle. 

All of which left Edinburgh needing two scores to win, neither of which they ever really looked like achieving.  The visitors' Last Chance Saloon came with five minutes remaining and a lineout on the Gloucester 5m line.  The ball was won by Edinburgh, but the resultant messy maul ended up with possession being lost...and any chances of winning the game with it.

Edinburgh eventually had to settle for a single losing bonus point, with Ben Healy's last-kick-of-the-ball penalty conversion.  

In my opinion, this was a Gloucester side there for the taking, and with a more ambitious team selection, Edinburgh could well have won this one.