Eight-try Edinburgh secure win over Bayonne
Mosese Tuipulotu scored his first try in Edinburgh colours
- Published
Challenge Cup: Edinburgh v Bayonne
Edinburgh (12) 52
Tries: Currie, Tuipulotu, Graham 2, Van der Merwe, Dodd 2, Ritchie Cons: Thompson 3, Healy 3
Bayonne (0) 12
Tries: Martin, Germain Cons: Lopez
A superb second-half display secured Edinburgh a comfortable bonus-point win over Bayonne in the Challenge Cup.
Sean Everitt's side took a 12-point lead into half-time thanks to tries from Matt Currie and Mosese Tuipulotu, but they went through the gears after the break with six further tries.
Darcy Graham - who was the best player on the park - scored twice, as did replacement Tom Dodd, while there were also scores for Duhan van der Merwe and Jamie Ritchie.
Lucas Martin and Baptiste Germain crossed for the visitors as they tried to rally early in the second period, but Edinburgh kept the French outfit at arm's length before taking total control.
It provides Edinburgh with real impetus before their 1872 Cup double-header against Glasgow Warriors either side of Christmas.
Dazzling Darcy steals the show
Graham spoke after the game about how Edinburgh's collective fitness helped them pull away from the visitors in the second half, but it was the Scotland winger's pace, tenacity and dancing feet that led the home side in attack.
He set up Currie's score with a brilliant burst down the right, before a slaloming run took Edinburgh into Bayonne's 22 in the build-up to Tuipulotu's try.
The 27-year-old then combined with Wes Goosen to cross himself, before showing impressive upper-body strength to hold off openside flanker Baptiste Heguy and dot down for his second.
Much was made of Van der Merwe extending his stay with Edinburgh earlier this week and the wing strolled under the posts for a try of his own, but Graham delivered a reminder - not that many needed it - of his world-class ability.
The Edinburgh duo are battling it out on the international stage to be Scotland's all-time Test try scorer, but against Bayonne, it was all about Graham.
Line-ups
Edinburgh: Goosen; Graham, Currie, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe; Thompson, Price; Schoeman, Ashman, Hill, Sykes, Gilchrist (c), Ritchie, Crosbie, Bradbury.
Replacements: Cherry, Venter, Sebastian, Skinner, Dodd, Shiel, Healy, Lang.
Bayonne: Tiberghien; Callandret, Erbinartegaray, Martocq, Spring; Lopez, Germain; Bordelai, Martin, Cotet, Marchois, Poloniati, Capilla, Heguy, Bruni.
Replacements: Van Jaarsveld, Cormenier, Scholtz, Bourdeau, Traversier, Machenaud, Segonds, Megdoud.
Referee: Morne Ferreira