Edinburgh beat the Blues to go third

  • 9 November 2020

Edinburgh backed up last week’s win with a dominant display to beat the Cardiff Blues 18-0 at a foggy BT Murrayfield.

It was another week, and another win against welsh opponents in challenging conditions, as Edinburgh took their first home win since lockdown, against the same opponents that they beat way back in February.

The front row continued their impressive scoring run, with David Cherry and debutant Lee-Roy Atalifo both crossing the whitewash from close range. Nathan Chamberlain added eight points from the boot, stepping up in the absence of Jaco van der Walt.

Key Moments

Edinburgh picked up where they left off last week, making a confident and commanding start to the match. Much of the first was dominated by an aerial battle, which Edinburgh won to take control of the game. A combination of excellent kicking and hard chasing put the Cardiff kicking game under huge pressure, giving Edinburgh the platform to run the show in the first half.

Edinburgh deservedly took the lead when Chamberlain, making only his second start, calmly knocked over a penalty to give Edinburgh the first points of the match. The home side continued to dominate and eventually made their pressure pay with a try. The impressive Ally Miller won a turnover in the Cardiff 22, and the home pack went to work, going through multiple phases of pick and go before debutant Lee-Roy Atalifo burrowed over the line to mark his debut with a score.

Cardiff responded well to going behind, however they missed their chance to claw back the score, with former Edinburgh half Jason Tovey hitting the post from a penalty attempt.

The away side started the second half with the bit between their teeth, attacking with intent, however the Edinburgh defensive wall held firm to maintain their lead. The blues spent much of the opening 10 minutes camped in the Edinburgh 22, but each wave of attack was met by huge defensive efforts from the home team.

After weathering the storm, Edinburgh went to the other end of the pitch and executed a perfect driving maul from which Dave Cherry was able to crash over the line to extend the lead. 15-0

The fog descended on BT Murrayfield for the final stages of the match, as Cardiff threw everything they had at the Edinburgh defence. As with the start of the half, the Edinburgh men held firm, with Jack Blain in particular making crucial tackles to deny Owen Lane and Hallam Amos. Strong defence meant Edinburgh were able to shut out the away side, before Chamberlain added a penalty with the last kick of the game to apply the gloss to an important win. 18-0

Play of the day

The major turning point of the match was Cherry’s score in the second half. Cardiff started the half with good intent, but the Edinburgh defence put on a clinic to keep them out. The home side showed a clinical streak to go to the other end of the pitch and back up their defensive efforts by getting their second try of the match.


Player of the Match

Winning the kicking game was going to be crucial in the foggy conditions at BT Murrayfield, and Henry Pyrgos showed all of his experience to control the match. Pyrgos kicked well, and at the right times, to keep the pressure on for the home team. Pyrgos was supported well by his halves partner Chamberlain, who also put in a strong performance to help put the away side under pressure.

live commentary 7:45 PM Monday 9 Nov 2020

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Kick-off 7:45 PM

Edinburgh

Cardiff Blues

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