Mark Robertson scored a memorable try as Edinburgh won a thrilling match at Castres; the team's first ever Heineken Cup win in France.

In a balmy night in south-west France, Edinburgh went into the match against Castres knowing full well that anything less than a win would effectively sound the death knell on their involvement in Europe's premier tournament this season.

Accordingly, Edinburgh produced a courageous performance with some sound defending and clever off-loading giving the men in Black and Red the advantage over their opponents.

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Alan MacDonald sparked off a spirited break after only a few minutes, but Nick De Luca got caught in two minds with his choice of pass and, as a result, Castres slowed down the momentum.

Phil Godman's penalty cannoned off the post and a premium opportunity to take the lead had slipped through Edinburgh’s grasp.

Cameron McIntyre slotted over a penalty to give Castres the lead and then added another minutes later to double their advantage.

A quick tap penalty from Mike Blair and a smart off-load created an opportunity for Mark Robertson and the wing shrugged off a tackle before touching down underneath the posts.

Paterson added the extras to put Edinburgh firmly in control and the away side defended superbly to withstand several purposeful waves of attacks from Castres.

Edinburgh then had a try chalked off after the officials spotted an infringement, although the approach play involving Phil Godman and Jim Hamilton was exhilarating to watch.

Andy Robinson’s side continued to apply the pressure and had Castres pegged back inside their own 22, but kept on failing on to translate possession into points.

After the break, Paterson scored a penalty to extend Edinburgh’s lead to 10-6 and Castres went onto miss a penalty.

Paterson added another penalty to give Edinburgh some much needed breathing space and take the sting out of any proposed Castres fightback.

With the home side throwing everything at Edinburgh, Mike Blair and co had to keep their collective concentration as they kept the hosts at bay.

The overwhelming feeling of relief swept through the Edinburgh camp at full-time and after a stop-start beginning to the season it looks as if this revitalising win will add some extra momentum going into next week's match at Connacht. 

Edinburgh: Chris Paterson, Mark Robertson, Ben Cairns, Nick De Luca (Houston), Simon Webster, Phil Godman, Mike Blair (captain); Allan Jacobsen (Kerr), Ross Ford (Kelly), Geoff Cross, Craig Hamilton (Gissing), Jim Hamilton, Scott Newlands, Alan MacDonald, Allister Hogg.

Replacements: Andrew Kelly, Gavin Kerr, Ben Gissing, Simon Cross, Greig Laidlaw, David Blair, John Houston.

Castres: Thomas Bouquie, Lionel Mazars, Steve Kefu, Philip Christophers, Rafael Carballo, Cameron McIntyre, Kevin Senio, Carl Hoeft, Romain Terrain, Luc Ducalcon, Kirill Kulemin, Lionel Nallet (captain), Steve Malonca, Rodrigo Capo-Ortega, Daron Nell.