Edinburgh beat the Blues to stay top
In a tightly-contested and turgid affair, Edinburgh brought their undefeated run at home to double figures as they beat Welsh outfit Cardiff Blues under the lights of BT Murrayfield.
This 10th game undefeated leaves Edinburgh seven points clear at the top of the Guinness PRO14 Conference B, with the capital club set for a two-week tour of South Africa against Southern Kings and Cheetahs.
A George Taylor try followed later by a penalty from Simon Hickey would’ve put the hosts in a good position towards the break but two penalties from Welsh fly-half Jason Tovey left the visitors uncomfortably close with a half-time score-line of 8-6.
The second half was a slow-burner, with no points being added until the 72nd minute, when Hickey added a second penalty to widen the gap.

The second half was a slow-burner, with no points being added until the 72nd minute, when Hickey added a second penalty to widen the gap.
With the total points being shared between only three players, it would be Hickey again who left the final stamp on the game, with a third penalty right before full-time to make it 14-6 to the home side on the final whistle.
Edinburgh were moving tactically from the get-go, piling relentless attacks onto the Blues defence. However, the visitors were no pushovers, flexing their counter-attacking prowess as they slowly progressed towards the Edinburgh try-line. They were the first to draw blood this match, as a ten minute penalty allowed fly-half Jason Tovey to put the ball between the sticks, putting them 0-3 up.
However, the ball had barely been in play again before Edinburgh snapped back. Simon Hickey’s kick from the restart was collected by Dan Fish, who let loose with his own boot. George Taylor saw this coming though, and charged it down, blocking the kick, gathering himself and making it across the whitewash for a spectacular response from the capital side. [5-3]
Unfortunately, this was as far as Taylor’s game would go this time, as he was brought off the field minutes later with his arm in a makeshift sling, making way for replacement Chris Dean.
It was end-to-end play from here on out, with some great phases from both sides – and names like Duhan van der Merwe and Damien Hoyland carrying well for Edinburgh. There were a couple of false starts, as both Edinburgh and Cardiff penalties either hit the woodwork or went wide. Simon Hickey got it right in his second try though, as the whistle went for an Edinburgh penalty in the 31st minute, and the New Zealander slotted the kick for his first points of the match. [8-3]

Unfortunately, it was the visitors who had the final say of the first half. A long phase of play based deep in Edinburgh territory culminated in a Cardiff penalty, which Jason Tovey stepped up to take. The kick was a simple one, and sure enough the Welshman punted it for the three points, leaving the score-line at 8-6 as the players headed for the tunnel.
It was a tense affair from the restart this time, with both clubs vying for dominance over a match that thus far, was proving to be a true tug-of-war for any real control.
Cardiff point-hauler Jason Tovey was taken off just eight minutes into the half after a huge collision with Pierre Schoeman, and this proved to be a dent in the armour of the Welsh side, as Edinburgh began driving their way towards the line, with the likes of Schoeman and Luke Crosbie offering powerful individual efforts.
Both defences were proving tough nuts to crack, with no real chances developing for either side, and a lot of broken-up play as scrums and stoppages dominated much of the game. Replacements for both teams came and went, as the match clock ticked into its final 20 minutes.
It would be well into the 72nd minute before the first points of the half were claimed. They came in the form of a Simon Hickey penalty, after an Edinburgh advantage was called, when Duhan van der Merwe was bundled into touch after a cross-field kick. Hickey stepped up and hit the target from some ways out, putting a five-point gap between them and the visitors as Edinburgh’s points tally finally reached double figures. [11-6]
There were still points to be taken from this fixture though, as a trademark Hickey kick-and-chase gained Edinburgh massive ground. A swift penalty followed, with the posts right in front. Of course, Hickey was willing to go for goal, and a conclusive three points were added, as the final whistle went just a minute later, bringing the curtain down on a match that ended 14-6.
live commentary 7:35 PM Friday 28 Feb 2020
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Edinburgh
-
Chris Dean
23. Replacement30metres made
62MINUTES PLAYED
7TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
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Jaco van der Walt
22. Replacement0metres made
20MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Henry Pyrgos
21. Replacement0metres made
26MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
16COMPLETE PASSES
-
John Barclay
20. Replacement0metres made
21MINUTES PLAYED
5TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Sam Thomson
19. Replacement0metres made
33MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Pietro Ceccarelli
18. Replacement1metres made
30MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Pierre Schoeman
17. Replacement8metres made
35MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Cameron Fenton
16. Replacement0metres made
0MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Viliame Mata
8. Number 829metres made
59MINUTES PLAYED
9TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
-
Luke Crosbie
7. Back-row13metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
11TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
-
Nick Haining
6. Back-row21metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
8TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
-
Grant Gilchrist
5. Second-row3metres made
59MINUTES PLAYED
5TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
-
Lewis Carmichael
4. Second-row0metres made
68MINUTES PLAYED
11TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Simon Berghan
3. Tighthead prop1metres made
50MINUTES PLAYED
5TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Michael Willemse
2. Hooker8metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
4TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
-
Jamie Bhatti
1. Loosehead prop2metres made
45MINUTES PLAYED
6TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Charlie Shiel
9. Scrum-half12metres made
54MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
69COMPLETE PASSES
-
Simon Hickey
10. Stand-off13metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
7TACKLES MADE
11COMPLETE PASSES
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Duhan van der Merwe
11. Wing52metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
-
George Taylor
12. Inside-centre25metres made
18MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
-
James Johnstone
13. Outside-centre39metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
8TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
-
Eroni Sau
14. Wing2metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
4TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
-
Damien Hoyland
15. Full-back38metres made
60MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
Cardiff Blues
-
Dan Fish
15. Full-back78metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
-
Jason Harries
14. Wing11metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
6TACKLES MADE
5COMPLETE PASSES
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Garyn Smith
13. Outside-centre17metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
5TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Max Llewellyn
12. Inside-centre7metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
7TACKLES MADE
8COMPLETE PASSES
-
Aled Summerhill
11. Wing5metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
-
Jason Tovey
10. Stand-off6metres made
48MINUTES PLAYED
5TACKLES MADE
21COMPLETE PASSES
-
Lewis Jones
9. Scrum-half8metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
6TACKLES MADE
53COMPLETE PASSES
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Bradley Thyer
1. Loosehead prop0metres made
54MINUTES PLAYED
9TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Kristian Dacey
2. Hooker4metres made
54MINUTES PLAYED
13TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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Dimitri Arhip
3. Tighthead prop0metres made
60MINUTES PLAYED
12TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Seb Davies
4. Second-row5metres made
66MINUTES PLAYED
13TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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Rory Thornton
5. Second-row4metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
15TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Josh Turnbull
6. Back-row1metres made
69MINUTES PLAYED
10TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Olly Robinson
7. Back-row14metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
7TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Will Boyde
8. Number 824metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
15TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Kirby Myhill
16. Replacement0metres made
26MINUTES PLAYED
4TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Corey Domachowski
17. Replacement0metres made
26MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Keiron Assiratti
18. Replacement0metres made
20MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Ben Murphy
19. Replacement0metres made
14MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Nick Williams
20. Replacement2metres made
11MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
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Jamie Hill
21. Replacement0metres made
0MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Ryan Edwards
22. Replacement0metres made
0MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
-
Ioan Davies
23. Replacement3metres made
32MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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