Edinburgh fall short in European opener
Edinburgh’s Heineken Champions Cup campaign started in defeat, losing 8-13 in an intense and physical encounter with La Rochelle at BT Murrayfield.
The home side welcomed back a host of Scotland internationals, however in a match where defence was king, it was the Top 14 League Leaders who came away with the victory.
Blair Kinghorn crossed the whitewash for the capital side, but tries from Raymond Rhule and Jeremy Sinzelle proved too much for Edinburgh.

Key Moments
Both sides made their intentions clear early on, with a breathless and open exchange between the sides. Edinburgh looked confident in stretching the La Rochelle defence, however it was the away side that took the lead, as Jules Plisson nailed a monster kick from the half-way line. 0-3
The penalty seemed to signal a swing in momentum, as the Top 14 leaders began to turn the screw and put pressure on the Edinburgh line.
The capital side managed to withhold multiple phases from the La Rochelle – Stuart McInally put in a brilliant try saving tackle on Tawara Kerr-Barlow – however the pressure soon told, as Rhule crossed for the first try of the match after slick work from the visitors. 0-8
After the try, the expansive opening of the match was replaced by tactical kicking. Edinburgh got themselves on the board just before half-time with their first visit into the La Rochelle 22. Jaco Van Der Walt – fresh from his Scotland test debut – made no mistake with the boot after pressure from the home side. La Rochelle missed a penalty with the clock in the red, to leave the score 3-8 at half time.
The second half started in the worst possible way for the home team, with Sinzelle scoring a try from nothing to extend the visitor’s lead. A lofted kick was misjudged in the air by Henry Pyrgos, and the La Rochelle fullback punished the error ruthlessly to pounce over the line. 3-13
Edinburgh didn’t take long to hit back, with Blair Kinghorn crossing over for a try. Richard Cockerill’s side backed themselves going to the corner, and the decision paid off handsomely. Chris Dean put in a tidy grubber kick behind the French defence, with the ball ricocheting into Kinghorn’s path. 8-13
Kinghorn’s try was the last time the scoreboard was troubled. The final half hour of the game was packed with intensity and big hits, with both teams throwing everything at each other. Edinburgh weren’t lacking in industry, but in the end a combination of handling errors and fierce La Rochelle defence meant the away side left BT Murrayfield with the win.

Play of the Day
The game was packed with physicality and intensity, and it was a game decided by defence. While Edinburgh were on the wrong side of the result, the play of the day was McInally’s spectacular try-saving tackle to deny former All Black Kerr-Barlow in the corner. The Edinburgh hooker burst back after the La Rochelle scrum half had broken through, saving a sure-fire five-pointer.
Player of the Match
live commentary 8:00 PM Saturday 12 Dec 2020
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Kick-off 8:00 PM
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Edinburgh
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James Johnstone
23. Replacement4metres made
9MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Nathan Chamberlain
22. Replacement0metres made
0MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Nic Groom
21. Replacement0metres made
15MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
16COMPLETE PASSES
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Magnus Bradbury
20. Replacement2metres made
24MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Andries Ferreira
19. Replacement0metres made
13MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Simon Berghan
18. Replacement0metres made
24MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Rory Sutherland
17. Replacement0metres made
21MINUTES PLAYED
4TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Michael Willemse
16. Replacement0metres made
18MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Viliame Mata
8. Number 834metres made
56MINUTES PLAYED
6TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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Hamish Watson
7. Back-row7metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
14TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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Jamie Ritchie
6. Back-row3metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
10TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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Andrew Davidson
5. Second-row1metres made
67MINUTES PLAYED
19TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Ben Toolis
4. Second-row1metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
11TACKLES MADE
7COMPLETE PASSES
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WP Nel
3. Tighthead prop0metres made
56MINUTES PLAYED
14TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Stuart McInally
2. Hooker0metres made
62MINUTES PLAYED
19TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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Pierre Schoeman
1. Loosehead prop0metres made
59MINUTES PLAYED
9TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Henry Pyrgos
9. Scrum-half18metres made
65MINUTES PLAYED
5TACKLES MADE
44COMPLETE PASSES
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Jaco van der Walt
10. Stand-off0metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
10TACKLES MADE
17COMPLETE PASSES
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Duhan van der Merwe
11. Wing38metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Chris Dean
12. Inside-centre6metres made
71MINUTES PLAYED
4TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
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Mark Bennett
13. Outside-centre21metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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Darcy Graham
14. Wing19metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
7TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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Blair Kinghorn
15. Full-back75metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
La Rochelle
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Jérémy Sinzelle
15. Full-back29metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
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Dillyn Leyds
14. Wing8metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
4TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
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Geoffrey Doumayrou
13. Outside-centre8metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
10TACKLES MADE
8COMPLETE PASSES
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Levani Botia
12. Inside-centre12metres made
70MINUTES PLAYED
6TACKLES MADE
5COMPLETE PASSES
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Raymond Rhule
11. Wing51metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
4TACKLES MADE
10COMPLETE PASSES
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Jules Plisson
10. Stand-off15metres made
40MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
13COMPLETE PASSES
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Tawera Kerr-Barlow
9. Scrum-half80metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
73COMPLETE PASSES
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Reda Wardi
1. Loosehead prop3metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
9TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Pierre Bourgarit
2. Hooker8metres made
56MINUTES PLAYED
8TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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Uini Atonio
3. Tighthead prop4metres made
62MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
1COMPLETE PASSES
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Thomas Lavault
4. Second-row0metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
9TACKLES MADE
2COMPLETE PASSES
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Will Skelton
5. Second-row39metres made
56MINUTES PLAYED
10TACKLES MADE
3COMPLETE PASSES
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Wian Liebenberg
6. Back-row9metres made
68MINUTES PLAYED
9TACKLES MADE
6COMPLETE PASSES
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Kevin Gourdon
7. Back-row19metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
8TACKLES MADE
7COMPLETE PASSES
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Gregory Alldritt
8. Number 879metres made
80MINUTES PLAYED
5TACKLES MADE
4COMPLETE PASSES
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Facundo Bosch
16. Replacement10metres made
24MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Leo Aouf
17. Replacement0metres made
0MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Arthur Joly
18. Replacement2metres made
18MINUTES PLAYED
4TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Mathieu Tanguy
19. Replacement1metres made
24MINUTES PLAYED
1TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Remi Bourdeau
20. Replacement0metres made
12MINUTES PLAYED
3TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Thomas Berjon
21. Replacement0metres made
0MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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Ihaia West
22. Replacement4metres made
40MINUTES PLAYED
0TACKLES MADE
11COMPLETE PASSES
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Martin Alonso
23. Replacement0metres made
10MINUTES PLAYED
2TACKLES MADE
0COMPLETE PASSES
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