Edinburgh 45-21 Ospreys: Hosts mark Mike Blair's last home game with big win
- Published
Darcy Graham scored the final two of Edinburgh's seven tries
URC: Edinburgh v Ospreys |
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Edinburgh (35) 45 |
Tries: Vellacott, Cherry, Skinner, Boffelli, Watson, Graham 2 Cons: Boffelli 4, Skinner |
Ospreys (7) 21 |
Tries: Lake 2, Parry Cons: Williams 2, Anscombe |
Clinical Edinburgh ran in seven tries in Mike Blair's last home game in charge as they dismantled the Ospreys in the United Rugby Championship.
Ben Vellacott, Dave Cherry, Sam Skinner, Emilano Boffelli and Hamish Watson all crossed before the break, with Dewi Lake responding for the visitors.
Darcy Graham scored a wonderful brace after the break as the home side put the game to bed, with Lake's second and a Sam Parry try no more than consolation for the Welsh side.
The defeat means Ospreys' slim hopes of a top-eight finish are over. They are replaced in 12th by Edinburgh.
It has been a deeply underwhelming campaign for an Edinburgh side that promised so much at the start of the season, but came into this match sitting 14th in the table with their play-off hopes long since extinguished.
The hosts wanted to give their fans one last hurrah in their final home game of the season and quickly set to work.
A calamitous mix-up in the Ospreys midfield set the ball loose and as they stood around waiting for someone to mop up the danger, Vellacott nipped in to snatch the ball and streak home unopposed to score.
The clock had yet to hit the eight-minute mark when Edinburgh conjured a second try. Graham and Watson made incursions before Blair Kinghorn offloaded beautifully to put Cherry in under the sticks.
The visitors responded immediately, a smart break from Rhys Webb taking them into the red zone and, after Edinburgh fluffed a lineout that would have released the pressure, hooker Lake ploughed over to get the Ospreys on the board.
The scoring did not let up, Sam Skinner powering over for Edinburgh's third try to make it 21-7.
It was a breathless opening quarter and Edinburgh had the four-try bonus point wrapped up before the 20-minute mark, Boffelli picking off an intercept and running in from 60m to score.
The game could not continue at such a frenetic pace and the second half of the opening period was scoreless until the final play before the break when Watson dived over for Edinburgh's fifth try.
The visitors had offered little resistance in the first half but struck first after the break, Lake finishing off a rolling lineout maul to touch down for his second try of the evening.
A slew of knock-ons, set pieces and stoppages had sucked the life out the game, until Graham lit the place up with a finish right out of the top drawer, evading numerous Ospreys tackles with a glorious cocktail of pace and power.
The little maestro was at it again moments later, gathering a beautifully judged kick ahead from Boffelli to go over in the corner.
Substitute Parry crossed late on for what was a consolation score for Ospreys.
His two tries capped a man of the match display from Graham, and one wonders how different Edinburgh's season might have been had their magical winger been fit for a larger chunk of it.
Edinburgh: Boffelli, Graham, Bennett, Lang, Hoyland, Kinghorn, Vellacott; Schoeman, Cherry, Nel, Sykes, Skinner, Ritchie, Watson, Mata.
Replacements: Van Der Merwe for Graham (77), Dean for Bennett (66), Pyrgos for Vellacott (60), Venter for Schoeman (59), McInally for Cherry (55), de Bruin for Nel (55), Hodgson for Sykes (21), Boyle for Mata (63). Sin Bin: Skinner (22).
Ospreys: Hopkins, North, Collins, K. Williams, L. Morgan, O Williams, Webb, Thomas, Lake, Botha, Beard, Jones, R Davies, Lydiate, Morris.
Replacements: Nagy for K Williams (71), Anscombe for O Williams (59), Morgan-Williams for Webb (59), Smith for Thomas (50), Parry for Lake (50), Francis for Botha (50), Roots for Jones (53), Sutton for Lydiate (70). Sin Bin: R. Davies (37), Morris (53).