Edinburgh v Connacht

:00:59. > :01:08.Edinburgh had a vital win against Scarlets here last week but tonight

:01:09. > :01:16.face 18 top of the Pro12. Five games unbeaten, this will be anything but

:01:17. > :01:21.easy. Edinburgh against Connacht. It is good to have you with us. A cold

:01:22. > :01:29.evening here in Edinburgh. It will be a tough one tonight against top

:01:30. > :01:33.of the table Connacht, who come in on confident form. Andy Nicol, they

:01:34. > :01:38.were happy with the performance last week and their resilience but they

:01:39. > :01:40.will have to show is a real performance this evening.

:01:41. > :01:50.They are against a better side tonight. Connacht at home would have

:01:51. > :01:54.had a guaranteed victory. They have had the continuity in the selection

:01:55. > :02:00.and it has made a huge difference. If Edinburgh want to get into the

:02:01. > :02:02.play-offs and they want to be successful in that regard, they have

:02:03. > :02:06.to try and beat the likes of Connacht.

:02:07. > :02:12.They will want to finish in the top four. The final in May here in

:02:13. > :02:19.Murrayfield. It is all about Connacht. You are joining us in the

:02:20. > :02:25.company of our commentary team. Not that long ago, it would have

:02:26. > :02:33.been more or less in conceding all -- inconceivable to be billing this

:02:34. > :02:37.game against fifth-place Edinburgh. They are in with a shout of getting

:02:38. > :02:51.in the top four. Connacht can't afford to lose it either. Connacht

:02:52. > :02:58.clipped the Osprey's wings. They have made four changes from the team

:02:59. > :03:02.that beat the Ospreys. Nathan White has played three times in the six

:03:03. > :03:11.Nations for Ireland. Quinn who plays his first game of 2016 and the

:03:12. > :03:18.captain returns for his first Pro12 game of this season. They may not be

:03:19. > :03:23.household names in Scottish terms but they have been playing some good

:03:24. > :03:30.rugby and winning some very good results, which have taken them to

:03:31. > :03:37.the top of the league. As we hit round of 17, remarkably, in the

:03:38. > :03:48.Guinness Pro12. The Edinburgh team in the red and black kit.

:03:49. > :03:55.A warm welcome from a thin crowd, perhaps influenced by the very scary

:03:56. > :04:03.weather forecast. It is an ideal night for rugby. Only one victory

:04:04. > :04:11.against Connacht in their last games for Edinburgh. A familiar look to

:04:12. > :04:22.the back row. Chris Dean comes in from the bench. The captain, Neil

:04:23. > :04:26.Cochrane, again at hooker. The replacements, once again. Edinburgh

:04:27. > :04:30.looks to have some strength in depth, despite the fact they have

:04:31. > :04:39.nine injuries, five internationals away. And plenty of book and case on

:04:40. > :04:44.the Connacht bench. A Welsh man is in charge. Ben Whitehouse.

:04:45. > :04:54.Connacht have the ball and we'll get this game underway, playing from

:04:55. > :05:00.left to right. Edinburgh in the red and black traditional outfit. Trying

:05:01. > :05:07.to repeat the performance of last week, when they ground out the

:05:08. > :05:14.result against the Scarlets. Both teams disposing of Welsh opposition.

:05:15. > :05:21.And coming into this game with everything at stake, really. The

:05:22. > :05:31.competition reaches its critical moments. And testing times in the

:05:32. > :05:36.opening stages. Chris Paterson, they are not a set of household names,

:05:37. > :05:41.the Scottish team, but a very good team.

:05:42. > :05:45.A very good team. We can see how they are going to come and play

:05:46. > :05:50.tonight. Enterprising stuff. The Edinburgh defence is as strong

:05:51. > :05:57.as it has always been. The first penalty to Edinburgh. We were

:05:58. > :06:04.pointing out earlier, Chris, that although they have scored a lot of

:06:05. > :06:07.Christ, they have conceded 35 tries, nearly double the amount Edinburgh

:06:08. > :06:13.have conceded. It is due to the fact they have laid

:06:14. > :06:23.some expansive teams. Richie getting on top of the ball, earning the

:06:24. > :06:31.penalty. The head coach, Pat Lam, has wrought the expansive style to

:06:32. > :06:34.the Irish team. Good from Edinburgh. A good

:06:35. > :06:50.attacking position. In the right territory as far as the city is

:06:51. > :06:58.concerned. The explosive Hamish Watson. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne with this

:06:59. > :07:03.very welcome match time. Holding the Edinburgh players up. Plenty of men

:07:04. > :07:14.for Edinburgh. Ball in hand, taking the game to the

:07:15. > :07:26.opposition, like they were last week. Out it comes again. A good

:07:27. > :07:35.opportunity here. Blair Kinghorn on the left-hand side. Having to range

:07:36. > :07:39.a long pass. This time, Connacht. Straight over the ball. A good

:07:40. > :07:45.example there of how they close the game down.

:07:46. > :07:52.He eventually wins a penalty. A well-organised defence. Buckley,

:07:53. > :07:57.number one, strong over the ball. His arms are not resting on the

:07:58. > :08:02.floor. A good decision. Edinburgh had a good phase of possession. They

:08:03. > :08:07.kept the ball close to the breakdown. A bit of space on the

:08:08. > :08:10.outside edge would have challenged a bit more. It is crucial to keep

:08:11. > :08:21.possession. 17 stone Buckley. We are just having

:08:22. > :08:29.a look at the flags on the East side, favouring Connacht at the

:08:30. > :08:35.moment. Left to right. Kieran Marmion is breaking. High tackle

:08:36. > :08:45.advantage coming to Connacht. Just that pace. Here they come again.

:08:46. > :08:51.Sean O'Brien takes it in. Buckley. Advantage is still being played. The

:08:52. > :08:56.move in underneath the Edinburgh post and Ben Whitehouse calls it a

:08:57. > :09:01.day. Round the back of the neck. And it

:09:02. > :09:07.is going no further at the moment with that. Setting down a marker on

:09:08. > :09:10.the way he wants the game played. After a wonderful set piece moves.

:09:11. > :09:19.Options left, right and centre. Kieran Marmion gets the ball back

:09:20. > :09:22.and Cornell Du Preez is there. There wasn't a swinging arm. More of a

:09:23. > :09:30.grab. Just a penalty, no yellow card. That was an example of how

:09:31. > :09:34.Connacht or why Connacht are top of the league. They like to play a set

:09:35. > :09:40.piece move with some wonderful options. Like an impressive

:09:41. > :09:47.goalkicker for Deep Throat -- for the first kick of the match. Well

:09:48. > :09:53.within his range. He probably has the wind in his favour. Certainly

:09:54. > :10:00.blowing left to right as we watch the game. Three conversions and

:10:01. > :10:12.three penalties last week against the Ospreys.

:10:13. > :10:20.Of the post. This is where the potential for countering Cancun. The

:10:21. > :10:28.right-hand side has a magnetic quality. Over the last couple of

:10:29. > :10:33.games, it has been rattling. The posts are still swinging from the

:10:34. > :10:35.blow. Beautifully struck. You could tell he wasn't certain it would curl

:10:36. > :10:38.in. It is tough from the left-hand side.

:10:39. > :10:46.Some really good detail from Edinburgh. You can see Alex is

:10:47. > :10:54.facing the post, looking at the post. He was waiting for that to

:10:55. > :10:57.happen. Good discipline by the Edinburgh second row.

:10:58. > :11:04.Here they come again, Connacht. Playing at pace. Pat Lam Coaching

:11:05. > :11:15.the way that he plays, with strength and passion. The ball is coming

:11:16. > :11:21.through the hands so quickly. Last week's man-of-the-match, is always a

:11:22. > :11:25.threat. Rob Downey is certainly familiar to some Scottish rugby fans

:11:26. > :11:32.in the middle. Donaldson taking it in. They have an extra man out wide

:11:33. > :11:51.if they had gone wide. Patients from Connacht. The

:11:52. > :12:01.execution. Aly Muldowney shifts it. Kieran Marmion constantly posing a

:12:02. > :12:09.threat. And, again, through the hands to Bundee Aki. They have the

:12:10. > :12:16.tops for a -- top scorer in the Pro12 on the right wing. It is taken

:12:17. > :12:21.back to Blair Kinghorn... But there is no advantage. The referee takes

:12:22. > :12:24.it back. Let's get the early thoughts of Andy Nichol at the

:12:25. > :12:28.touchline. Really impressed with Connacht. You

:12:29. > :12:33.can see why they are top of the Pro12. The cohesion and continuity

:12:34. > :12:40.in selection. Their game management is good, they are running lines of

:12:41. > :12:44.each other. It is the sign of a side full of confidence and a side that

:12:45. > :12:50.has been together for all of these weeks so it will be a real challenge

:12:51. > :12:52.for Edinburgh tonight. It was good defence to force the turnover but

:12:53. > :12:56.they will be asked questions tonight they haven't been asked in the last

:12:57. > :13:04.few weeks. I agree. That last phase of play

:13:05. > :13:06.proved their patience. They were challenging the Edinburgh defence.

:13:07. > :13:14.They couldn't go forward because the Connacht wall was quick.

:13:15. > :13:16.Every single Connacht player at this stage is posing a threat and looking

:13:17. > :13:35.confident with ball in hand. A good shot by Edinburgh. A mess, is

:13:36. > :13:37.the technical term. This is where Edinburgh have been

:13:38. > :13:43.strong all season, the set piece, the scrum. The front row, obviously,

:13:44. > :13:54.the front row is with Scotland but every time Rory Sutherland and the

:13:55. > :13:57.others have constantly delivered. It will be powerful scrum from

:13:58. > :14:02.Edinburgh. They will want to repeat that.

:14:03. > :14:13.As we heard, questions will be asked. Denis Buckley. They are

:14:14. > :14:23.themselves solid rocks on which the scrum is built. Quin Roux and Aly

:14:24. > :14:28.Muldowney behind them. And again, it is going round. This time Edinburgh

:14:29. > :14:39.have it and a chance to prove it at the left-hand side. The referee has

:14:40. > :14:48.called a ruck. Trying to create space but driven back by Connacht.

:14:49. > :14:55.This time, Hidalgo-Clyne takes on the responsibility yourself and just

:14:56. > :15:00.a quick look there from Ciaran O'Halloran.

:15:01. > :15:03.The pressure is intense. Hidalgo-Clyne got his kick after a

:15:04. > :15:08.lot of hard work. Edinburgh had to work hard to get the platform to

:15:09. > :15:16.clear. Connacht sensing ascendancy, with nothing to show for it after

:15:17. > :15:24.ten minutes. It has been virtually all Connacht,

:15:25. > :15:33.apart from that early testing time. Well taken at the line-out. Some

:15:34. > :15:44.momentum here for the city said. -- city

:15:45. > :15:55.. Kieran Marmion shift it quickly. They have men on the left-hand side,

:15:56. > :16:00.in front of the Edinburgh funds. Huddled in the biting wind in the

:16:01. > :16:12.East stand. Again, the Edinburgh line speed is good. They go left

:16:13. > :16:21.again, Connacht. Harlem globetrotter stuff on the left-hand side. Again,

:16:22. > :16:26.into the wind. I'm not sure that is the best tactic into the wind,

:16:27. > :16:31.unless the chase is better. Kieran Marmion has found a big space here

:16:32. > :16:37.and Blair Kinghorn is going to have to watch it go out I'm afraid. If it

:16:38. > :16:45.was tennis, it would be a vantage Connacht.

:16:46. > :16:50.It was well managed. The initial kick was too far Connacht kick at

:16:51. > :16:58.the right time, opening up the space to kick. Whereas Edinburgh, on both

:16:59. > :17:03.occasions, kicked very early in the phases. After being under the cosh,

:17:04. > :17:10.as an Edinburgh they are I would want some ball in hand and build up

:17:11. > :17:23.the phases to build up an attack. Well taken, again. The line-out is

:17:24. > :17:29.working smoothly at this stage., Connacht giving Edinburgh no chance

:17:30. > :17:35.to recycle quickly. Connacht took a step early there, right in front of

:17:36. > :17:39.Ben Whitehouse, the referee. He is playing advantage coming to

:17:40. > :17:50.Edinburgh. Hidalgo-Clyne goes up and back he comes. Another person

:17:51. > :17:54.inside. He is offside. Early. Nothing coming off that in

:17:55. > :17:58.particular. A penalty and a chance for Edinburgh to relieve the

:17:59. > :18:03.pressure. I like to see the referee having a

:18:04. > :18:09.look for advantage. I think the game can be so structured for the most

:18:10. > :18:13.part of the game, it is good to have an opportunity for advantage.

:18:14. > :18:23.Offside deep in Edinburgh territory. They will commit. A lovely strike.

:18:24. > :18:29.I don't think that with his haircut last week!

:18:30. > :18:33.He is a good player. He is nice with ball in hand. The general consensus

:18:34. > :18:40.is that he might be more effective in a number 12 shirt but could slot

:18:41. > :18:48.in at number ten easily. I don't think that was quite the

:18:49. > :18:51.plan but Edinburgh have it. The first time the line-out hasn't quite

:18:52. > :19:03.gone to form. They have possession, which is the main thing. Phil

:19:04. > :19:06.Burleigh has been ripped. Knock-on. He was under pressure, Chris, from

:19:07. > :19:09.the point he had to jump to take the path.

:19:10. > :19:15.All of the Connacht defenders are on their feet so there is very little

:19:16. > :19:18.space for them to go to. The line speed, the speed at which the

:19:19. > :19:25.defence can come forward, is much quicker. It put Phil Burleigh under

:19:26. > :19:29.pressure. That ripped tackle is a tactic, going for the ball and

:19:30. > :19:35.trying to dislodge it. It was not forward. Edinburgh are getting a lot

:19:36. > :19:43.of set pieces to play from, they are all in their own half and very much

:19:44. > :19:54.in favour of Connacht so far. The scrum has been stable.

:19:55. > :19:58.An interesting setup from Edinburgh. Behind the scrum it looks like they

:19:59. > :20:03.want to spread the ball across the field and challenge the Connacht

:20:04. > :20:11.defence. It's going nowhere so far. It will

:20:12. > :20:14.have to go somewhere now because the referee has said though. Here they

:20:15. > :20:25.come at pace. Phil Burleigh switches out into the centre. And again, good

:20:26. > :20:29.ground made by Edinburgh. This time Phil Burleigh again. He thought he

:20:30. > :20:37.had a gap but there were men on the outside again. That has given

:20:38. > :20:42.Connacht the chance. Being kept in play. There are five Edinburgh

:20:43. > :20:49.players ranged across the pitch. Phil Burleigh goes the other way.

:20:50. > :20:54.And the end result is a penalty to Connacht. From appear that look like

:20:55. > :20:59.the wrong decision. Well, I think Edinburgh kicked too

:21:00. > :21:09.early. Wonderful defence by Matt Healy. He chose to, the short side.

:21:10. > :21:12.It is the safe option because it is in outside channel if they give away

:21:13. > :21:17.a penalty but they have to have a more positive outlook, work hard and

:21:18. > :21:23.try to get a second touch. Putting pressure through his hands on the

:21:24. > :21:27.turf. That is the penalty from in Whitehouse. It was an opportunity

:21:28. > :21:33.for Edinburgh to counterattack. An opportunity missed, unfortunately.

:21:34. > :21:43.I am thinking about the point made by Chris, Matt Healy was the top

:21:44. > :21:48.scorer in the league. A brick tackle, that is what we were talking

:21:49. > :21:53.about. Edinburgh almost nicked it. Open play, the referee describes.

:21:54. > :22:00.That is one way to call it! Broken play.

:22:01. > :22:06.It is a real fight for the ball in contact, isn't it?

:22:07. > :22:17.Straightening up. Connacht have a stack of men and the charge.

:22:18. > :22:20.Clearing out his ruthless. Concentrating on the left-hand side

:22:21. > :22:26.again. Here is a break. Slipping the tackle. Back it comes for Kieran

:22:27. > :22:38.Marmion again. At the heart of everything. There is a whole line of

:22:39. > :22:42.Connacht macro white shirts. The pressure is horrendous. Kieran

:22:43. > :22:52.Marmion on the charge is Nathan White. Quinn group comes to ground

:22:53. > :23:02.and the ball coming back so quickly. Ben Aki slips it to O'Halloran. A

:23:03. > :23:08.decent attempt at the intersection rather than a deliberate knock-on.

:23:09. > :23:12.One of these ones, if it had stuck it would have been so different.

:23:13. > :23:19.Good refereeing from Ben Whitehouse. He didn't deserve a yellow for that.

:23:20. > :23:26.An attempt to upset the ball. So often we see this resulting in a

:23:27. > :23:31.penalty and the sin bin. I think we see Blair Kinghorn... It is his

:23:32. > :23:36.chest. There should be some alarm bells ringing in the Edinburgh

:23:37. > :23:40.defence because once again, Connacht are getting quick ball at the

:23:41. > :23:47.breakdown. Ten or 11 phases in Edinburgh territory. The good thing

:23:48. > :23:57.for Edinburgh is it is still 0-0. They are not registering points.

:23:58. > :24:03.Nearly 20 minutes gone. On the clock has stopped for an injury.

:24:04. > :24:05.Let's rejoin Andy Nicol. Looking at what is happening here tonight, he

:24:06. > :24:12.must be impressed with Connacht tonight. When Edinburgh had the ball

:24:13. > :24:14.in attack, I was impressed at the Connacht defence. It is the

:24:15. > :24:19.organisation which comes from playing week in, week out. They have

:24:20. > :24:24.been solid in defence. It will be a real challenge for Edinburgh

:24:25. > :24:30.tonight. Well, and from so far. It is not

:24:31. > :24:34.going to have a load of scores but I suspect sooner or later this

:24:35. > :24:47.pressure will be a score. Keep an eye on number four men for

:24:48. > :24:49.Connacht, Danie Poolman. Keep an eye on him.

:24:50. > :25:00.Advantage once again going to Connacht.

:25:01. > :25:12.It is the obvious thing to do. Good captain the. Ben White has just

:25:13. > :25:19.asked a question. Are the players pushing early? Danie Poolman in the

:25:20. > :25:26.wider shot, behind the scrum. Brown can't leave the blindside. Danie

:25:27. > :25:34.Poolman goes around. It is a difficult decision. Difficult to

:25:35. > :25:41.cover. 14-3 between Scarlett and Treviso.

:25:42. > :25:51.Here is Danie Poolman. Three tries so far. Potency on both flanks for

:25:52. > :25:57.Connacht. Moving inside now. Moving everybody inside. Underneath the

:25:58. > :26:04.Edinburgh posts. Making more ground, five metres out. Kieran Marmion

:26:05. > :26:15.delivers. Back inside the five metre mark. Coming left again. Turn back

:26:16. > :26:21.inside. The rarest move. 13 offside. Matt Scott almost slipping through.

:26:22. > :26:26.Danger for Edinburgh. Nathan White. Advantage is still there and they

:26:27. > :26:32.have men over on the side if they move it quickly. Instead they go

:26:33. > :26:37.through the middle and that, to me, is a good score. They have made it

:26:38. > :26:42.all the way. AJ MacGinty repeating his score of last week. Edinburgh

:26:43. > :26:50.are not happy about the way it was delivered. Hidalgo-Clyne is

:26:51. > :26:56.questioning some part of the move. Here is Bundee Aki. AJ MacGinty

:26:57. > :27:01.hitting a lovely line. There is space left by the defenders and he

:27:02. > :27:09.comes back, hitting the ball as far as that and it is good timing onto

:27:10. > :27:14.the ball also good distributional Bundee Aki. He will normally hit the

:27:15. > :27:19.ball at pace and take it into contact but it was patient build-up

:27:20. > :27:24.and a clinical finish. Hidalgo-Clyne what questioning the playwright in

:27:25. > :27:29.the previous ruck. We will have a look at that full is top no mistake.

:27:30. > :27:44.Aly Muldowney in midfield for Connacht is down. This is the try.

:27:45. > :27:48.AJ MacGinty holds this depth. It gets to Bundee Aki's hands. He is

:27:49. > :27:56.bringing the defence onto him and the pace comes from AJ MacGinty.

:27:57. > :28:00.Good refreshing to see a strike runner run at the Gap, not at the

:28:01. > :28:03.man. He held it and released it at the

:28:04. > :28:14.perfect time. Blair Kinghorn delivers. Still a man down. I think

:28:15. > :28:24.that is somebody's day done. Connacht move it. They have men over

:28:25. > :28:38.here. Although Tom Brown did well to stop Danie Poolman. He is isolated

:28:39. > :28:42.here. He needs help. Sticking it up the narrow channel. Edinburgh are

:28:43. > :28:47.still a man down and will have to make a quick replacement.

:28:48. > :28:51.Matt Scott has gone off. A hand injury. A blow for Edinburgh.

:28:52. > :29:02.An opportunity for them on the far side now.

:29:03. > :29:13.Another chance for Edinburgh. A path to Tom Brown. Blair Kinghorn is

:29:14. > :29:21.inside. Better possession from Edinburgh. And again they have

:29:22. > :29:27.conceded an the ground. I think it is the loose head. So

:29:28. > :29:33.effective in the set piece. That is two penalties. Ben Whitehouse is

:29:34. > :29:41.confirming the substitution for Matt Scott. To me it looked like he was

:29:42. > :29:47.carrying his hand. Sam Beard is coming on as a replacement.

:29:48. > :29:53.There we have the first change for Edinburgh.

:29:54. > :30:05.Andy Nicol is closer. It is sad seeing Scott there. He has had a bad

:30:06. > :30:14.run of injuries. Last week he was one of only two fit centres for

:30:15. > :30:24.Scotland. Scotland can accommodate that, but it is sad to see him

:30:25. > :30:28.injured again. A hefty price to pay for defensive duties. Moving

:30:29. > :30:56.forward. Off they go again. Aki takes it.

:30:57. > :31:07.Again an attack on the left-hand side. Edinburgh's defence is shed to

:31:08. > :31:14.the limits -- is stretched to the limits. They have turned it though.

:31:15. > :31:26.They have taken this. They have plenty of men on the left. Split the

:31:27. > :31:38.defenders. A chance for a corner to run it back. MacGinty takes it in.

:31:39. > :31:47.A much better defence from Edinburgh. MacGinty tried to run

:31:48. > :31:50.back but he was halted. It is better to see the Edinburgh defenders under

:31:51. > :32:02.feet ready to come forward and make contact. -- on their feet. Against

:32:03. > :32:20.this left-hand attack. Hands away, Edinburgh. He pulled two players

:32:21. > :32:27.over. They have an advantage. The advantage has come to Edinburgh for

:32:28. > :32:33.the knock-on. It was deeper bass -- it was a pure pass. It was maybe

:32:34. > :32:43.Nathan White outside but it didn't throw the defence, although it full

:32:44. > :32:50.to his team-mate. I hence to their, Crest, the Edinburgh becoming more

:32:51. > :32:54.competitive on the ground. That is Bundee Aki tried to make up for his

:32:55. > :33:03.per pass by coming up and thumping Sam Beard. The referee has to watch

:33:04. > :33:07.some of those tackles. Always when Hamish Watson is in the field you

:33:08. > :33:12.will find out he is said to referee player. He defends really well. But

:33:13. > :33:22.also the two number ones for Edinburgh are effective. His

:33:23. > :33:29.workrate is simply phenomenal, he seems to be covering every inch of

:33:30. > :33:34.this vast expanse. This is a good position for Edinburgh. It is an

:33:35. > :33:38.opportunity to go left or right. Their set pieces are usually pretty

:33:39. > :33:42.solid. It is important for Edinburgh to strike well and maintain

:33:43. > :33:51.possession and put pressure on Connacht. They have three men on

:33:52. > :34:09.each side and he had a good look on the side. Christine and Tom Brown.

:34:10. > :34:17.-- Chris Dean. That is a huge psychological goal. The backs are

:34:18. > :34:23.slapping the followers in the back because that was a big effort. There

:34:24. > :34:26.was power coming through. You very rarely see the Edinburgh scrum being

:34:27. > :34:32.disrupted like that. That was a phenomenal effort. It was a high

:34:33. > :34:39.position to defend from and the foreword that. Technically sound and

:34:40. > :34:48.losing in confidence, you have to say. Their body language is good.

:34:49. > :34:52.But there is only one score in its. There will come a point in the game

:34:53. > :34:55.where Edinburgh get the upper hand I get more possession and they have

:34:56. > :35:02.two be attentive to the scoreboard when that happens. They will have

:35:03. > :35:17.the wind in the second half if it stays as it is at the moment. It is

:35:18. > :35:25.not a howling gale. Edinburgh are doing their best to disrupt this. He

:35:26. > :35:33.is taking it on himself. It goes out to MacGinty. There is the South

:35:34. > :35:45.African Pullman taken down in full flow. -- Poolman. Taking a direct

:35:46. > :35:50.route, this is punishing staff. Doing his best to disrupt it but

:35:51. > :35:59.they are shifting it. Pullman is yelling for the ball. MacGinty takes

:36:00. > :36:08.it on. He uses foreword. Well contested by Edinburgh, but again it

:36:09. > :36:19.took two to tango that time and again they got left. Over the top,

:36:20. > :36:31.Tom McCartney. Half way into the five metre area. Mervyn, Pullman,

:36:32. > :36:36.this is punishing staff. There were a stack of players offside there but

:36:37. > :36:42.they got away with it. This time Edinburgh have won it and that is a

:36:43. > :36:46.huge psychological blow because of you can defend like that and turn

:36:47. > :36:54.the ball over Juventus go as we are hitting the half hour, it is still

:36:55. > :37:04.0-7. That was impressive from Edinburgh. There is Toolis. Working

:37:05. > :37:15.hard. That is phenomenal defence where Edinburgh and the knock-on

:37:16. > :37:25.cons. Really good. Good tackles. An interesting exchange between the

:37:26. > :37:33.referee and a player there, I think he was making it clear to him that

:37:34. > :37:37.he was aware... That he was aware what was going on. An exchange

:37:38. > :37:49.between the referee and the gentleman on the other side as well.

:37:50. > :38:03.This is a big scrum again. Edinburgh now it is important, as to Connacht.

:38:04. > :38:24.On the five metre line here. It has been taken on. He didn't quite get

:38:25. > :38:28.that one. No, but John Muldoon put pressure on it. These are the things

:38:29. > :38:33.that make a big difference. John Muldoon does not get out of that

:38:34. > :38:36.scrum and work harder the first contact that would have been an easy

:38:37. > :38:40.clearance. These are the little things that when they are done

:38:41. > :38:44.properly have a big effect on the game and John Muldoon meeting

:38:45. > :38:52.deciders captained should be putting the ball under pressure. We are into

:38:53. > :39:01.the final terminus of the first half. -- ten minutes. Hamish Watson

:39:02. > :39:13.gets out of the way and down it goes. A penalty. They have a run

:39:14. > :39:21.together to go. It is interesting, the referee has already called time

:39:22. > :39:25.off. The first my players might be celebrating, by Chris is not

:39:26. > :39:35.celebrating. -- the first my players.

:39:36. > :39:50.Check the grounding. He is safe enough in terms of territory. Tom

:39:51. > :39:59.Brown has lost control of that, clearly. Danie Poolman will be upset

:40:00. > :40:08.with that. But Tom Brown did well and dislodge the ball. Has the Slade

:40:09. > :40:16.and the diagnostic on from the game. That is always guaranteed to get you

:40:17. > :40:27.over the line safely. A great effort from Edinburgh to defend. There was

:40:28. > :40:38.no try. It is an interesting decision. Anton Bresler. They are

:40:39. > :40:47.debating what to do. It is going forward so it needs to be a yellow

:40:48. > :40:50.card. I think the speed at which the ball was progressing forward, it is

:40:51. > :40:56.highly likely that was going to result in a yellow card. He came in

:40:57. > :41:13.for the side under the referee's nose and blotted out. A tough gig

:41:14. > :41:20.has just got tougher. I am not resemble fiberglass it comes. Five

:41:21. > :41:31.metres. -- I am not exaggerating because here it comes. They have put

:41:32. > :41:42.it down. Jake Heenan has taken the ball to ground.

:41:43. > :41:47.Initially this was defended well by Edinburgh. You see the lads getting

:41:48. > :41:55.in there and slowing the momentum down and Connacht taking their time.

:41:56. > :42:00.He is controlling where the ball is and the power comes through and then

:42:01. > :42:10.to the right of the picture you can see Jake Heenan. Great ten eight and

:42:11. > :42:16.great spatial awareness, knowing exactly where they were. Another

:42:17. > :42:29.difficult chance for Craig Ronaldson over on the far side. Kicking from

:42:30. > :42:42.the left foot. Not exactly ideal. He gave it a good go. Straight through

:42:43. > :42:51.the post. That is a great kick. 14-0 four Connacht. This has been a

:42:52. > :42:56.dominant performance for Connacht. Edinburgh's scrum was good but that

:42:57. > :43:01.has gone as well. They are down to 14 men for the next seven or eight

:43:02. > :43:06.minutes, so Edinburgh need to dig deep year because they could lose

:43:07. > :43:12.this game before half time. They need to step up. They need to get

:43:13. > :43:22.anything in the last six minutes of this first half. Here is an

:43:23. > :43:33.opportunity. He fancies it himself. Tom Brown goes them. The intensity

:43:34. > :43:43.of the challenge. Not conceding an inch. He switches quickly. Great

:43:44. > :43:54.presence of mind. It goes to decree. Now there is a chance for Edinburgh.

:43:55. > :44:02.Highland goes. He needs help. Fantastic. Through their hands,

:44:03. > :44:10.there is a charity for Hamish Watson. He tries to get the back

:44:11. > :44:13.door. Connacht will not hang about because they can see a huge gap

:44:14. > :44:22.opening up in front of them. The advantages over. Edinburgh losing

:44:23. > :44:33.their shape there when they lost the ball. The Edinburgh crowd are being.

:44:34. > :44:45.Then white is no doubt about it just now. You cannot click the ball out

:44:46. > :44:57.of someone's hands. -- kick. This is a penalty here. If we rewind 15

:44:58. > :45:06.seconds there was a wonderful opportunity for Edinburgh to score a

:45:07. > :45:17.child. -- to score a try. The end result was a penalty. It is the time

:45:18. > :45:24.to do it, just before half time. They are defensive again, which is

:45:25. > :45:38.frustrating for Edinburgh. It is keyed to the midfield effort. So

:45:39. > :45:51.easy, so easy the delivery. It is so easy in till it hits your shoulder.

:45:52. > :45:59.That is a good kick. And there is a penalty. That will give them a lift.

:46:00. > :46:09.Jamie Ritchie making up for his earlier mistake. A penalty. A

:46:10. > :46:11.penalty for Edinburgh. It is important that Edinburgh get

:46:12. > :46:24.something before half time. Here's Danny Healy 's sizing up his

:46:25. > :46:31.options. That is a penalty. Edinburgh have now been put into the

:46:32. > :46:38.red zone by Phil Burleigh. We have about two and a half minutes.

:46:39. > :46:43.Edinburgh are down to 14 men so they are taking their time going to this

:46:44. > :46:48.line-up, but they will not take too long. It is two minutes until half

:46:49. > :46:56.time. Hopefully a concerted approach from Edinburgh. They would take any

:46:57. > :47:03.score at the moment. The icing of the cake would be could go the whole

:47:04. > :47:07.way. Hamish Watson has a look. Trying to drive him to the line.

:47:08. > :47:23.They need to get McCartney out of there. That is all this delivery.

:47:24. > :47:33.That is high by Ben Aki. Hamish Watson, I gain that man, the missing

:47:34. > :47:40.man. They have numbers this time. Good possession. We need a bit of

:47:41. > :47:53.accuracy here, for Edinburgh, and some patience. It is available but

:47:54. > :48:09.it is very slow from Edinburgh. There is one minute remaining. We

:48:10. > :48:11.are into the last minute of play. A score here would be good. They have

:48:12. > :48:37.numbers left. There is a gap year. It is slow. The

:48:38. > :48:46.momentum is lost. Almost the game. -- almost once again. They have

:48:47. > :48:52.turned it over. They have turned it over and depending on the bounce of

:48:53. > :48:56.the ball it was still in play and we are within seconds of the end of

:48:57. > :49:04.normal time Kinghorn delivers to Tom Brown. Watson has a go on the

:49:05. > :49:15.left-hand side. That is another high tackle. There is a flag. That seemed

:49:16. > :49:27.to be the most severe of the high tackles that we have seen. They do

:49:28. > :49:36.have a tendency to go when high. That is high. From two players.

:49:37. > :49:41.There was an earlier call to have a look at the last look at this one

:49:42. > :49:55.first. There was another incident on the far side that he's still the

:49:56. > :49:58.cat. -- that he is going to look at. That is a yellow card. That is fair

:49:59. > :50:16.enough. If the penalty was committed after

:50:17. > :50:22.the clock had gone into the red, if it was still under 40 minutes the

:50:23. > :50:29.ball would be kicked into touch for a line-up and a try but because it

:50:30. > :50:39.was in the red it is the end of the half so it is the first opportunity.

:50:40. > :50:43.At this stage Edinburgh will take three boys have they can get them.

:50:44. > :50:49.It is a difficult kick. Left-hand side. There are a lot of tired

:50:50. > :50:57.people out there from the first half, so the boys would be welcome

:50:58. > :51:12.for Edinburgh. -- so three points would be welcome for Edinburgh.

:51:13. > :51:24.It is across the face of the goal. A slight hesitation there. They have

:51:25. > :51:30.reached half-time as one might expect with a fairly sound lead, a

:51:31. > :51:34.copper heads of performance from them in the first half, technically

:51:35. > :51:38.sound and active and ruthless when it has been within range and they

:51:39. > :51:47.have taken the scores that they have come. The gap could be much wider,

:51:48. > :51:57.but as it stands at half time it is Edinburgh zero, Connacht 14. A

:51:58. > :52:03.fantastic 40 minutes of rugby from Connacht. Edinburgh have to do all

:52:04. > :52:09.the work in the second half. They are looking good, aren't they? They

:52:10. > :52:13.are. The forwards and backs and the interplay, both the attack and

:52:14. > :52:20.defence, the cohesion, the organisation, it was all there. The

:52:21. > :52:24.only thing they're really kept Edinburgh in the game was the good

:52:25. > :52:33.scrambling defence because this game could have been over. 14-0 down.

:52:34. > :52:38.They are going to have to up their game in a big way and the second

:52:39. > :52:44.half. There are 14 players on both sides now so it is even. There are

:52:45. > :52:47.two yellow cards. There were two incidents throughout the game. I

:52:48. > :52:57.have been impressed by all aspects of this. Hamish Watson always jumped

:52:58. > :53:08.into it, which was a strange tactic. -- almost jumped into it. Edinburgh

:53:09. > :53:14.came out of the box very well. This is great organisation there. We all

:53:15. > :53:22.said this comes from playing every week. That is the understanding.

:53:23. > :53:26.Everyone knows what is happening. Everyone knows what everyone else is

:53:27. > :53:38.doing. They are working together very well. Their interplay was very

:53:39. > :53:43.good. You should never get that sort of distance from a rock like that.

:53:44. > :53:49.Sipping it along. Bundee Aki has been broken. On another day another

:53:50. > :53:53.referee might have said that was intentional, but that was where

:53:54. > :53:59.Edinburgh managed to get that scrambling defence. The pressure

:54:00. > :54:09.they were putting on Edinburgh could be seen pretty quickly. AJ MacGinty

:54:10. > :54:14.scored the child. -- scored a try, and what a try. No one could get

:54:15. > :54:21.their hands anywhere near the ball to slow it down. Connacht are just

:54:22. > :54:29.throwing phase after phase and asking questions of the defensive

:54:30. > :54:34.Edinburgh. Look how many Edinburgh players are rounded post there.

:54:35. > :54:41.Bundee Aki, who is normally at the centre, he came into the first row

:54:42. > :54:49.and then came on the angle. That is the interplay that comes from

:54:50. > :54:54.knowing. That is the understanding that comes from playing every week.

:54:55. > :54:58.He mentioned at the start of the programme that they play every week.

:54:59. > :55:12.This is welcome season and Six Nations. You can see how well they

:55:13. > :55:15.work as a unit. We did a game against Glasgow at the start of the

:55:16. > :55:25.season and it was so much better here against Edinburgh. Connacht are

:55:26. > :55:29.the best team that we have seen for a long time, they are very

:55:30. > :55:32.impressive. Forget the lack of stars, the play for each other and

:55:33. > :55:39.that's something you cannot put money on. A great performance and a

:55:40. > :55:51.great try. One was all about the forwards. Five yards out they were

:55:52. > :55:59.down. Mike it is just well worked and well-controlled. Edinburgh try

:56:00. > :56:03.hard to stop at and turn it around, but the white shirts are always in

:56:04. > :56:14.control and it is the easy finish there. Never once did Edinburgh get

:56:15. > :56:18.anywhere near the ball. He knows that the back years absolutely in

:56:19. > :56:25.control. Bundee Aki comes in but the ball is still at the back. Total

:56:26. > :56:31.control there. That is as good a try as you will see all season. A good

:56:32. > :56:39.push from Edinburgh initially but then the control. It was a most

:56:40. > :56:42.impossible for them to defend. In that situation you have to stop is

:56:43. > :56:50.initially or you will really struggle. Edinburgh took a while to

:56:51. > :56:56.create anything and not create much the scoring opportunity, but they

:56:57. > :57:02.did have one chance. They really had one opportunity and when you're not

:57:03. > :57:09.play well here got to take the one opportunity. They have if you faces

:57:10. > :57:14.here. He goes for the kick and doesn't get it but then Phil

:57:15. > :57:20.Burleigh seize the opportunity. There is the gap. The one-time

:57:21. > :57:27.Edinburgh has had a good run by Highland, but where is the support.

:57:28. > :57:34.This is where they needed quick ball and we needed to see the shape of an

:57:35. > :57:38.attack. Jamie Ritchie holds onto it. That would have been the only

:57:39. > :57:45.opportunity and it had taken it. When they're not play well you have

:57:46. > :57:49.to take any chance. Missing the opportunity to get two points on the

:57:50. > :57:58.board for ever and bra. Other teams are in action tonight. Scarlets are

:57:59. > :58:08.playing just now and bleeding 14-8. -- and they are leading. Glasgow are

:58:09. > :58:16.also in action on Sunday and you can see that live on BBC Alba. I am

:58:17. > :58:28.still revelling in the glory of Risley. The performers in Scotland

:58:29. > :58:34.has been performing. They are scoring try. That was something

:58:35. > :58:41.Scotland can do for many years but now five have been scored. Mike

:58:42. > :58:46.Bennett got in behind the defence. Craig Laidlaw running from the side.

:58:47. > :58:57.It was good to see the interplay between two forwards and backs.

:58:58. > :59:04.Then Russell is scanning, he sees that the numbers are up. After the

:59:05. > :59:11.first game against England, they have looked to play against Wales

:59:12. > :59:14.and Italy. There has been impact off the bench. Duncan Taylor wasn't

:59:15. > :59:22.involved against England but he has had a major impact. He is almost

:59:23. > :59:29.invaluable. And last week against Italy. A massive game for Scotland.

:59:30. > :59:35.They needed the win. Tim Visser came on. Stuart Hogg has been

:59:36. > :59:42.consistently good. Awareness and control. Then Russell came into his

:59:43. > :59:49.own. Look at the attacking threat. Outstanding in the tackle, set

:59:50. > :59:52.piece. Wilson, another impact from the first game. John Hardy has

:59:53. > :59:59.probably been the most consistent performer for Scotland. Alongside

:00:00. > :00:04.Stuart Hogg and grey. This was the icing on the kick. When you've got

:00:05. > :00:09.somebody like Stuart Hogg who's got the ability to create that space and

:00:10. > :00:15.off-load, a fantastic try from Tommy Seymour. Scotland are scoring

:00:16. > :00:19.points. Only England have scored more in the six Nations. The defence

:00:20. > :00:23.was outstanding. When you have good defence and the ability to score

:00:24. > :00:28.tries, you have the real deal. They will need to defend up against

:00:29. > :00:34.France at Murrayfield in a week's time. A brutal French side. They are

:00:35. > :00:42.hard-core. It is all physical and you match it.

:00:43. > :00:45.I think Scotland can match it. You have to back up that performance

:00:46. > :00:50.last week and I think we can. I think if we can get the victory

:00:51. > :00:56.against France, we will go against Ireland in the last weekend. It was

:00:57. > :01:00.a bit doom and gloom after the first couple of losses but after the

:01:01. > :01:04.victory, the competition can flick so quickly.

:01:05. > :01:10.It is a cold night but we are smiling. Do you think Scotland can

:01:11. > :01:14.get the victory against France? Yes. The French side is

:01:15. > :01:23.unrecognisable but they are taught. They have run out of ideas. I don't

:01:24. > :01:28.think they have made any difference. It is probably the highest we have

:01:29. > :01:35.been in the table for many years! We can go above France without a date

:01:36. > :01:43.roger-mack doubt. -- without a doubt. The players are confident,

:01:44. > :01:50.scoring tries. There is no reason why we can't kick on from the Italy

:01:51. > :01:54.performance. Who has impressed you? Stuart Hogg

:01:55. > :01:59.has been consistently outstanding such an attacking threat at 15. You

:02:00. > :02:07.have to give him the ball. Johnny Gray, he has put in several shifts.

:02:08. > :02:12.22 tackles last week. 14 or 15 carries. John Hardy has led the

:02:13. > :02:17.defence brilliantly. The set piece last week, the scrum. We had how

:02:18. > :02:24.many scrum penalties? You don't normally see that against Italy.

:02:25. > :02:32.What has been good, you have players like Stuart Hogg and Johnny Gray.

:02:33. > :02:35.Taylor has had a big impact. I love the impact he has brought to the

:02:36. > :02:45.backline. Greig Laidlaw has pulled the strings. So important for

:02:46. > :02:48.Scotland, not just in the points scoring but leadership. Scotland

:02:49. > :02:54.have got that balance and it is what you need. That is why I'm confident

:02:55. > :03:00.they can go on and win made in both their remaining games.

:03:01. > :03:05.In the press conference, the coach said he loves the fact that there

:03:06. > :03:08.are so many leaders from a Scotland brink of you.

:03:09. > :03:11.Edinburgh are going to need some leaders against the team at the top

:03:12. > :03:15.of the league. At the moment I can't see any way

:03:16. > :03:22.back for Edinburgh because there has been a massive drop-off in Connacht.

:03:23. > :03:23.Sometimes these things happen. Everything out to go for Edinburgh

:03:24. > :03:32.in the second The first ten minutes hugely

:03:33. > :03:35.important, particularly for Edinburgh, if they are to take

:03:36. > :03:45.anything from this match. Over to the commentary team. Hugh Dan

:03:46. > :03:51.MacLennan and Don Paterson. A couple of changes in Edinburgh.

:03:52. > :04:04.Simon Berghan has come on for John Andress. Identical change, and 18

:04:05. > :04:11.coming on for a number three. Rodney Ah You has come on for Nathan White

:04:12. > :04:19.in Connacht. Edinburgh playing from left to right, trying to reverse

:04:20. > :04:23.this 14 point deficit. Do you think Edinburgh can get back in?

:04:24. > :04:28.There is always a way back. The disappointing thing is it looks as

:04:29. > :04:32.though the rain is starting to fall. It is harder to chase a score if the

:04:33. > :04:38.weather gets in the way. Edinburgh have to look after the ball and get

:04:39. > :04:42.into the game. The other point we should have

:04:43. > :04:47.mentioned very briefly at the start of the second half is that Connacht

:04:48. > :04:52.will be playing with 14 men for the best part of ten minutes because

:04:53. > :04:58.Tiernan O'Halloran has been removed from play, just before the interval.

:04:59. > :05:05.Edinburgh have a numerical advantage. Normally a team would

:05:06. > :05:21.capitalise on that. Here is a chance for the top the second time they

:05:22. > :05:33.have made a break. Again, Hidalgo-Clyne. Phil

:05:34. > :05:45.My arithmetic is slightly wonky because Anton Bresler still has time

:05:46. > :05:52.to make on his yellow card. Cornell Du Preez have a look but he has

:05:53. > :05:57.probably taken the wrong option. They go left, Blair Kinghorn. More

:05:58. > :06:06.numbers here for Edinburgh. Hidalgo-Clyne goes back this way.

:06:07. > :06:12.Connacht are stretched here. If Edinburgh can get in quickly...

:06:13. > :06:22.Cornell Du Preez. Well taken from Damien Hoyland. He has missed it. A

:06:23. > :06:31.free ball. Phil Burleigh. The ball was out. He hasn't managed to

:06:32. > :06:36.relieve the pressure. A poor kick. Good pressure from Edinburgh.

:06:37. > :06:42.Good start to the second half from Edinburgh. They have come out with

:06:43. > :06:49.intent. Added to that, Anton Bresler is rejoining after his sin billing.

:06:50. > :07:00.A couple of very good attacks from Edinburgh. Looking sharp, Damien

:07:01. > :07:03.Hoyland. Much better from Edinburgh at the early part of the second

:07:04. > :07:11.half. A good delivery here would be a good

:07:12. > :07:17.move. Well taken. Edinburgh don't have any go forward because Connacht

:07:18. > :07:21.have driven them back. Again, the suggestion of a high tackle. Cornell

:07:22. > :07:25.Du Preez being held down and there is a penalty coming for a side

:07:26. > :07:30.entry. Edinburgh have an advantage they can use here. Plenty of men to

:07:31. > :07:39.the left if they can move it quickly. Phil Burleigh. Five metres

:07:40. > :07:46.to go. Hidalgo-Clyne. Edinburgh stepping up the pace. Rodney Ah You

:07:47. > :07:53.goes over. Advantage being played. The long path, looking for Cornell

:07:54. > :08:00.Du Preez. And Edinburgh have scored. The referee is going to have another

:08:01. > :08:03.look. I am not entirely sure why. They are checking the past, they

:08:04. > :08:10.want to see if the final pass was forward. Any reason I cannot award

:08:11. > :08:19.the try. It drifted long and highly.

:08:20. > :08:24.Sitting behind it, it looked fine. A really good start to the second

:08:25. > :08:29.half. Here is the long path. Damien Hoyland through it off his left

:08:30. > :08:35.hand. It looks back to me, no problem at all. In the outside

:08:36. > :08:40.channel, taken out of the hands of Cornell Du Preez.

:08:41. > :08:48.You may award the try. A score to Edinburgh. All of a

:08:49. > :08:53.sudden they have a glimmer of hope because that was a splendid finish.

:08:54. > :08:58.Good to see Damien Hoyland having the awareness and skills. A

:08:59. > :09:02.tremendous football player, fearing the space and being able to get the

:09:03. > :09:08.ball out there. A good long pass from his left hand. He has carried

:09:09. > :09:17.hard and defended well. He gets his reward.

:09:18. > :09:25.Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, from his preferred side. He has pulled it the

:09:26. > :09:31.other way instead of across the face of the goal. Edinburgh are finally

:09:32. > :09:38.on the scoreboard. They have five points. Andy Nichol.

:09:39. > :09:45.I think Solomons has earned his corn at half-time. Quick ball, on the

:09:46. > :09:49.front foot. When you have got good players and that kind of vision, you

:09:50. > :09:57.can see the difference. An important start.

:09:58. > :10:01.Edinburgh got the ball a few times in the build-up to that, which is so

:10:02. > :10:06.crucial when you are looking to find spaces, especially outside. Connacht

:10:07. > :10:15.go long. They will try and win some territory. Edinburgh keeping it in

:10:16. > :10:20.Vegas time. -- in play this time. The rain seems to has eased off,

:10:21. > :10:30.although it is not as easy to pick out for us here in the West stand.

:10:31. > :10:33.Kieran Marmion releases it. Again, they have three men over here.

:10:34. > :10:42.Cutting through the defence from Edinburgh. Kieran Marmion returns.

:10:43. > :10:49.They are going all the way. Slicing through the Edinburgh defence. AJ

:10:50. > :11:06.MacGinty goes in. Good pressure. The referee is happy so far. And a

:11:07. > :11:13.flourish to finish. Bundee Aki. It opened up too easily? So powerful

:11:14. > :11:16.and quick on his feet. The Edinburgh defence let them take the initiative

:11:17. > :11:27.and come forward. Before that, some of the rest build-up a. Outstanding.

:11:28. > :11:30.Forward and backs handling at pace. Bundee Aki is too good to give that

:11:31. > :11:37.kind of space and time to. A difficult tackle for the tight head

:11:38. > :11:41.prop. If we see that again on replay, there were so many quality

:11:42. > :11:46.passes, so many quality pieces of skill. A fantastic try from

:11:47. > :11:54.Connacht. The two points added with consummate

:11:55. > :11:59.ease. By Donaldson. It is a feature of their play. The comfort on the

:12:00. > :12:03.ball. It had precision, it had everything.

:12:04. > :12:09.The build-up was phenomenal and Bundee Aki finished it off with a

:12:10. > :12:16.big swan dive. Hitting back so soon is a big blow to Edinburgh as well.

:12:17. > :12:19.Edinburgh have started the second half better. They know they can

:12:20. > :12:25.score tries. They need another couple.

:12:26. > :12:32.As we can see on the top of the screen, a yellow card is to

:12:33. > :12:35.Connacht's continuing disadvantage. You would hardly credit it because

:12:36. > :12:43.of the way they are moving the ball and dominating possession. Well

:12:44. > :12:47.taken by Blair Kinghorn. He made sure he got his body behind it and

:12:48. > :12:56.on top of it. Edinburgh is now beginning to move at pace again.

:12:57. > :13:06.Looking for Damien Hoyland, who has been a threat every time he has got

:13:07. > :13:15.hold of the ball. Again, Edinburgh trying to stretch the Connacht

:13:16. > :13:20.defence. Phil Burleigh takes the kicking option again. Charged down

:13:21. > :13:33.by Tom Brown, which is probably just as well. A bit of a reduction is

:13:34. > :13:38.midfield. -- a bit of a ruck in midfield.

:13:39. > :13:44.Edinburgh have had so little possession, especially in opposition

:13:45. > :13:48.territory. They want to hold onto it. A nice attacking kick but I

:13:49. > :13:53.would like to see them hold onto it. Edinburgh nick another substitution.

:13:54. > :13:57.Another change for Edinburgh. Rory Sutherland leaves the field and

:13:58. > :14:05.Allendale comes on. Very impressed with him. He has been

:14:06. > :14:12.outstanding for Edinburgh this year. -- Alun Dell. He has spent quite a

:14:13. > :14:20.lot of time with Edinburgh injured. An athletic prop, low to the ground

:14:21. > :14:29.and strong. He comes with Mac can cause a bit of damage. Rory

:14:30. > :14:31.Sutherland has impressed me. Edinburgh has suffered a bit upfront

:14:32. > :14:40.with the scrum but a great performance.

:14:41. > :14:45.Simon Berghan have made a significant impression when he came

:14:46. > :14:55.on as a impact player. By no means beyond them but as the yellow card

:14:56. > :15:00.lessons for Connacht, they are just so direct and so powerful... It is

:15:01. > :15:04.barely noticeable that they are playing with 14 men at the moment

:15:05. > :15:05.because they are in total control of where they are and what they are

:15:06. > :15:25.doing. Again, just a flat kick. Tom Brown

:15:26. > :15:32.inside him. Rodney Ah You! Now there is a chance for Edinburgh. Spreads

:15:33. > :15:40.it quickly to Blair Kinghorn and out to the far side. Stopped dead in

:15:41. > :15:50.their tracks. Again, a body. The Edinburgh crowd... The Edinburgh

:15:51. > :15:57.crowd taking umbrage at Bundee Aki. He was arguing there was no ruck but

:15:58. > :16:01.there was. If there hadn't been another defender there, Bundee Aki

:16:02. > :16:10.would have been fair to do that. As you can see, it is now 15 each side.

:16:11. > :16:18.That one shaved the flag on the way through!

:16:19. > :16:24.A knock-on after his high tackle on Hamish Watson.

:16:25. > :16:31.Connacht claiming that the ball was the wrong side of the flag.

:16:32. > :16:35.Edinburgh have it, five metres out. A chance here. And look at the power

:16:36. > :16:45.with which Connacht attack. Edinburgh have a shift moving

:16:46. > :16:50.inside. Here they go again. Size entry. A penalty coming to

:16:51. > :16:57.Edinburgh. Hamish Watson has a go. Inches away from the line.

:16:58. > :17:03.Hidalgo-Clyne weights and goes left. A chance for Edinburgh here.

:17:04. > :17:18.Low and hard, but not enough. Still not there. Jamie Ritchie.

:17:19. > :17:26.Hidalgo-Clyne again. They are stretching the know. Phil Burleigh.

:17:27. > :17:31.A chance here for Blair Kinghorn. It goes out to Damien Hoyland. A score

:17:32. > :17:36.to Edinburgh. Connacht are claiming a forward pass but there is no

:17:37. > :17:40.point. Dead flat is the verdict from the referee. Good enough for

:17:41. > :17:47.Edinburgh. A good score. He does wonderfully

:17:48. > :17:53.well, straightening the line. Comets the defender and get the ball away.

:17:54. > :17:57.This movement is so vital in an attacking sense and good to see from

:17:58. > :18:07.a young player. Damien Hoyland looking shocked again this evening.

:18:08. > :18:13.Dead flat, as the referee contested. A good score from Edinburgh. The

:18:14. > :18:16.distribution and fixing from the backs to score in the right-hand

:18:17. > :18:21.corner. A good chance here for

:18:22. > :18:27.Hidalgo-Clyne. Well within his range with his left foot. If you can pull

:18:28. > :18:35.this off, it would get them to within almost the range of a score.

:18:36. > :18:45.There is certainly some degree of confidence to come from that

:18:46. > :18:50.particular move for is top -- for Edinburgh. A perfect view and a

:18:51. > :18:56.perfect finish. The radar is back in action. Edinburgh are creeping back.

:18:57. > :18:59.The big difference now is they are managing to respond to what Connacht

:19:00. > :19:05.are throwing at them. Keeping possession. A lot of phases.

:19:06. > :19:10.A good ball from Phil Burleigh. That movement, straightening the line

:19:11. > :19:15.from Blair Kinghorn. Then to get the timing right for the distribution to

:19:16. > :19:26.Damien Hoyland, keeping his whip in the corner. A good backline and well

:19:27. > :19:31.done from Edinburgh. I think I said there wouldn't be a

:19:32. > :19:43.bag full of scores about an hour ago. There you go. Edinburgh moving

:19:44. > :19:47.it out. Carefully. They have a spring in their step all of a

:19:48. > :19:56.sudden. With possession. With territory. Hidalgo-Clyne shifts them

:19:57. > :20:02.another 20 metres up the field. And just getting to their feet a little

:20:03. > :20:11.bit quicker, Edinburgh. More pressure coming on the contact.

:20:12. > :20:14.Neil Cochrane questioned the referee again, whether the ball was out

:20:15. > :20:20.before it was kicked through. I think Connacht will take that. They

:20:21. > :20:25.managed to get possession. Into the Edinburgh 22. They will be happy

:20:26. > :20:30.with that exchange at kick-off. The rain is coming down heavier now.

:20:31. > :20:39.Connacht are battling their way up to the Edinburgh 22. It is broken

:20:40. > :20:47.play again. Callaghan has been a constant threat. -- Ciaran O

:20:48. > :20:53.Hallahan. Breaking the line. The ball is out but Kieran Marmion has

:20:54. > :21:01.it. He is electric around the back of the pack. It is so easy when he

:21:02. > :21:12.is going forward of course. Rodney Ah You have a go. Watson hanging off

:21:13. > :21:18.him. Kieran Marmion. It is a bit static this time from Connacht and

:21:19. > :21:25.Edinburgh dive them back. Contesting it on the ground. AJ MacGinty has a

:21:26. > :21:30.go himself. He is stopped in his tracks. This time Edinburgh have it

:21:31. > :21:36.again. Good intensity from the Edinburgh defence.

:21:37. > :21:43.It is. Tackle and then back on his feet. It didn't look like he

:21:44. > :21:46.released very quickly but good defence by Edinburgh after the

:21:47. > :21:51.initial break. AJ MacGinty has threatened the line a few times. He

:21:52. > :22:00.did release and then get back. There was a line break before that I Aly

:22:01. > :22:02.Muldowney -- before that by Aly Muldowney. The character of the

:22:03. > :22:07.Edinburgh defence has won the penalty and they have cleared their

:22:08. > :22:08.lines. Not the longest kick in the world

:22:09. > :22:19.from Phil Burleigh. It has moved Edinburgh up. That was

:22:20. > :22:29.the main thing. They have possession now. I get the feeling Hamish Watson

:22:30. > :22:32.could do this in his sleep. Every time Edinburgh direct, he is the one

:22:33. > :22:43.with the ball under his arm. Hidalgo-Clyne changes his mind,

:22:44. > :22:47.comes this way. Edinburgh has extra men again. Blair Kinghorn didn't

:22:48. > :23:02.quite get up to full speed. Fully know the threat Watson poses

:23:03. > :23:07.if he gets on the loose. Burley with a long path. It has worked for

:23:08. > :23:15.Edinburgh on a number of occasions tonight. Looking for the far side.

:23:16. > :23:23.Jamie Ritchie. He has a look. Hidalgo-Clyne. Again, static from

:23:24. > :23:28.Edinburgh. A gap opened up all of the sudden. Almost like slow motion.

:23:29. > :23:36.Connacht were caught flat-footed for once. A slack pass. That's messy.

:23:37. > :23:41.That could have been so good because there were four players outside

:23:42. > :23:45.Burley. And a lot of tired Connacht

:23:46. > :23:51.defenders. The pass was too low and Burley couldn't pick it up. I think

:23:52. > :23:55.it is better from Edinburgh because they are keeping the ball. The

:23:56. > :23:59.knock-on comes from behind Cornell Du Preez, over his head. Sam

:24:00. > :24:09.Hidalgo-Clyne wasn't happy. Edinburgh didn't kick. They were

:24:10. > :24:15.playing with their heads up. Just be aware when you are getting up, the

:24:16. > :24:21.ruck might have formed. Edinburgh playing with their heads

:24:22. > :24:25.up. Not sure what Bundee Aki is talking about there. He has twice

:24:26. > :24:29.made a tackle and got back to his feet on Edinburgh's side of the

:24:30. > :24:38.ruck. He can do that if there isn't another Connacht defender.

:24:39. > :24:42.For the first time in the game, the Connacht players are heaving.

:24:43. > :24:46.Down to Andy Nichol. I have been impressed with Connacht all night

:24:47. > :24:50.but one aspect of the second half, when Edinburgh have upped their game

:24:51. > :24:57.is how they have reacted to the tries. Connacht have gone down and

:24:58. > :25:02.dominated and scored their try and here they are looking pretty strong

:25:03. > :25:05.as well. Edinburgh are nine points down and they need to try and get

:25:06. > :25:10.something from this but Connacht will be looking for a bonus point,

:25:11. > :25:13.well within their grasp. A better second half and Edinburgh have come

:25:14. > :25:18.to the party but can they get anything from the game?

:25:19. > :25:25.It is a 9-point game at the one hour mark. Still a lot of rugby to be

:25:26. > :25:38.played. A lot at stake for both teams. We know the other teams in

:25:39. > :25:43.the top four are also in it. Burley kicks it. Now there is a gap

:25:44. > :25:55.and a chase. The balance was favourable. It sat up nicely.

:25:56. > :25:59.Hidalgo-Clyne. He hasn't been under pressure for much of this evening,

:26:00. > :26:09.Kieran Marmion. Edinburgh have 3 million back, waiting for the kick.

:26:10. > :26:16.-- three men back. That has gone directly out from inside the 22.

:26:17. > :26:26.Early is taking a chance with this. The man with the gas. Bundee Aki

:26:27. > :26:31.gets it. They go left. They have stacks of men here. Up the middle.

:26:32. > :26:36.Anton Bresler takes a direct line. A chance for Edinburgh. Cornell Du

:26:37. > :26:47.Preez. He is stopped. They have another go. Three metres. Piling in.

:26:48. > :26:54.The short pass, forced out. I think the woody language suggests to me he

:26:55. > :26:59.was forced out. He has a grounding? -- the body language. He has a

:27:00. > :27:06.grounding and he is checking the touchline. Closer than I thought. I

:27:07. > :27:12.have a grounding. I would like to check the touchline for any reason I

:27:13. > :27:18.cannot award a try for is top -- award a try.

:27:19. > :27:23.Hidalgo-Clyne popped the ball out. Look at his feet. It is the elbow.

:27:24. > :27:32.It is whether he reached the line before the elbow hit the touchline.

:27:33. > :27:35.I think that is in touch, Chris. With his right side down before we

:27:36. > :27:41.left? His elbow.

:27:42. > :27:56.I think it is a try. I think the ball hits the try line first. They

:27:57. > :28:03.are not going to tell us anything. He popped the ball up. Looking at

:28:04. > :28:11.when the ball hit the ground, as opposed to Cornell Du Preez's left

:28:12. > :28:17.arm. The ball is down before. I believe a try has been scored. I am

:28:18. > :28:26.going to award the try. Here we come. Three, two, one...

:28:27. > :28:31.Almost! A try for Edinburgh. All of a sudden we have got a different

:28:32. > :28:35.game. Another good attack. It started from

:28:36. > :28:41.a dominant scrum from Connacht at the centre of the field. Edinburgh

:28:42. > :28:50.pounced. They managed to build the phases and put pressure on Connacht.

:28:51. > :29:00.Some really good attack. Foraging over. Damien Hoyland.

:29:01. > :29:11.It is a 4-point game on the one-hour mark. And if Hidalgo-Clyne could get

:29:12. > :29:29.this over... We are going to head for one cracking closing spell.

:29:30. > :29:39.It is the most difficult kick off Good evening. -- off Good evening.

:29:40. > :29:49.Someone needs to look at these posts. A great effort. Let us look

:29:50. > :30:05.at it again. It has stretched them down the right-hand side. Edinburgh

:30:06. > :30:12.keeping the ball alive. Clever play. To be barged over and scored the

:30:13. > :30:22.third try for Edinburgh. 17-21 for Connacht. Edinburgh are within range

:30:23. > :30:25.of pulling it off, what would be a huge victory. Connacht have made

:30:26. > :30:33.some changes and we will come back to that. The pressure is beginning

:30:34. > :30:37.to tell because that is so unlike the Connacht of the first half

:30:38. > :30:44.because every ball duck, every pass reached its man and now all of a

:30:45. > :30:53.sudden they do not look quite as good. How does it look from down

:30:54. > :30:58.there? All season I have been impressed with the character that

:30:59. > :31:03.Edinburgh have shortened. They have really done it and come into this

:31:04. > :31:07.game. You can see the body language on both sides has turned around.

:31:08. > :31:11.Connacht are looking at each other and are not as buoyant as they were

:31:12. > :31:16.and Edinburgh have a spring in their step as they can win this night and

:31:17. > :31:30.they could not see that happening at half time. This has been described

:31:31. > :31:49.as unaccustomed frailty. It is certainly frailty. It is certainly

:31:50. > :31:55.unaccustomed territory. Then Whitehouse. Then Whitehouse is doing

:31:56. > :32:05.his best to sort them out. He has been impressive as the match of the

:32:06. > :32:22.soul. It has been good management. You usually see a flat former

:32:23. > :32:35.defence. There is a massive shelf. Here is a chance for O'Halloran. It

:32:36. > :32:49.is Poolman here's gone to ground. The pressure is telling. Berkeley

:32:50. > :32:52.even is beginning to... You can see Tom Molden tried to calm them down

:32:53. > :33:02.in midfield, telling them to slow down. A bit of frustration creeping

:33:03. > :33:08.into the corner here. They will not be frustrated with their scrum, the

:33:09. > :33:09.way it is going at the moment. The knock-on there was his first

:33:10. > :33:26.mistake. C how much grunt at they put into

:33:27. > :33:42.it. That will take them up into second

:33:43. > :33:59.place, joint second perhaps. If Edinburgh could get Highland on

:34:00. > :34:09.the ball just a little bit more often. -- Hoyland. That is a flat

:34:10. > :34:17.pass. There was interference with the past there. The referee says

:34:18. > :34:27.that it is a knock-on. It is similar to the first half. A consistent

:34:28. > :34:34.referee. It was an attempt at a tackle. We can have another look

:34:35. > :34:44.year. He puts the ball back and sides. That is a little the list.

:34:45. > :34:57.That has to be a knock-on. It is further away from the line. These

:34:58. > :35:10.are the pivotal moments in the game. 66 minutes in a 4-point game. This

:35:11. > :35:25.shows you how much Edinburgh have come back into this fixture. It was

:35:26. > :35:37.14-0 at half time. This time Edinburgh are rock solid. All of a

:35:38. > :35:43.sudden the frailty is there. Edinburgh are beginning to get the

:35:44. > :35:51.upper hand. It baffles you. In two previous scrums, Edinburgh dug in

:35:52. > :36:05.and won the penalty with the good execution. There will be a change in

:36:06. > :36:13.the front row for Connacht. That is a bit of a turn up. The number 19

:36:14. > :36:29.for Edinburgh has come on, Alex Toolis. Alex Toolis has come on for

:36:30. > :36:37.Bresler. I think Bresler has been impressive tonight and he has

:36:38. > :36:41.carried hard. He has put his team on the front foot. He is pointing to

:36:42. > :36:49.his wrist as he comes off. I hope that is not another injury to add to

:36:50. > :36:57.the extensive number of injured players Edinburgh has. They had nine

:36:58. > :37:11.at last count. Edinburgh have men here at full tilt. A chance on both

:37:12. > :37:19.sides. If anything that is so cold. -- of anything that is cynical. It

:37:20. > :37:29.was the captain who went in. AJ MacGinty not rolling away. Bell hits

:37:30. > :37:33.his ball hard. MacGinty will claim that he was on his feet but he was

:37:34. > :37:45.not supporting his own body weight and the referee told him to take his

:37:46. > :37:54.hands off twice and he did not. The way the scrum has gone, you can

:37:55. > :38:07.guarantee. For once the posts do not interfere. They have in at least

:38:08. > :38:20.five of the last televised games. Edinburgh 20- Connacht 21. Momentum

:38:21. > :38:21.is with Edinburgh. Connacht have scored seven points in the second

:38:22. > :38:47.half. Momentum with Edinburgh. The only corn has come on for

:38:48. > :38:49.Connacht. Can Edinburgh step it up? Candy stepped up another half notch

:38:50. > :39:03.or so? -- candidate step it up. Connacht are flying in. They need to

:39:04. > :39:07.get the rhythm and the pace we had in the first half if they are going

:39:08. > :39:12.to stretch away from Edinburgh, because at the moment it is just a

:39:13. > :39:17.single point, so any score for Edinburgh would put them in the

:39:18. > :39:29.lead. All Halloran is away. For example Halloran. Connacht are on a

:39:30. > :39:35.roll. They are running out of men. It Edinburgh can get their shape

:39:36. > :39:45.back. They are thin on the far side of Connacht move quickly. The

:39:46. > :39:59.gently, he is blocked there, surely. -- MacGinty. On the charge. There

:40:00. > :40:05.are about ten metres from the Edinburgh line, looking typically a

:40:06. > :40:17.water between them in Edinburgh in the closing stages. Edinburgh are

:40:18. > :40:22.defending for all they are worth. They go the other way. That will

:40:23. > :40:29.stretch Edinburgh. They might get it back. Have decided to keep going

:40:30. > :40:40.east. They are gathering in the middle. Here they come. Every tackle

:40:41. > :40:48.is now critical for Edinburgh. The gently breaks again, that is a great

:40:49. > :40:59.tackle. -- MacGinty. Now the big charge. They are very close. The

:41:00. > :41:08.referee says it is short. Edinburgh need to stay on the line. And the

:41:09. > :41:13.game. Going for the post. Short again. That is the verdict from the

:41:14. > :41:22.referee who gives the ball to Connacht. That was to reflect

:41:23. > :41:25.defence and attack. It was a break that set up the attack by Edinburgh

:41:26. > :41:35.did well to find their shape that defensively. I think John Muldoon

:41:36. > :41:44.was trying to get the ball against the post. That would have been a

:41:45. > :41:51.try. A good attack. Some fantastic defence by Edinburgh. They all need

:41:52. > :41:59.to take a breath and so do we. It has been pulsating stuff. They have

:42:00. > :42:11.got every trick in the book, they can run and move and do everything.

:42:12. > :42:17.An injury, Peter Robb, has come onto the field. Denis Buckley has spent

:42:18. > :42:26.most of the last few minutes stretching his car. -- his cat. They

:42:27. > :42:38.would be reluctant to change Buckley been outstanding. Goalkicker is now

:42:39. > :42:46.limping off the field. The referee has said that the player can only

:42:47. > :42:58.come on for a scrum replacement, not as a player. Slightly complicated.

:42:59. > :43:05.He has caught his ankle. That is not going to help with the kicking,

:43:06. > :43:12.obviously. AJ MacGinty is the kicker for the USA, he would step up.

:43:13. > :43:18.Edinburgh need to defend this desperately difficult position under

:43:19. > :43:22.the shadow of their own post. They have to go after this scrum and

:43:23. > :43:27.attack it. There will be two attackers on the right hand side of

:43:28. > :43:37.the under left. Edinburgh have four on the left against two. The need to

:43:38. > :43:48.defend the right hand side of the scrum. This is a huge scrum. They

:43:49. > :43:53.have got over according to the referee. Connacht have reached the

:43:54. > :44:01.line and it is one of the substitutes who has got through. You

:44:02. > :44:06.can see the gap just opening up for him to batter his way through and

:44:07. > :44:12.for all that there were two men hanging on to them it was not

:44:13. > :44:16.enough. That ball was held at the back for two or three seconds but as

:44:17. > :44:20.soon as it got to the back of the scrum he went. Edinburgh had four

:44:21. > :44:25.defenders on that side and they still sat on the heels when they

:44:26. > :44:37.should have come forward. The pre-works hard to get out. That is a

:44:38. > :44:42.bonus point and a fourth try. That is disappointing for Edinburgh at

:44:43. > :44:56.this point. The referee was in a great position there. The kick was

:44:57. > :45:01.taken and then an Irish player was brought down by some of the

:45:02. > :45:06.Edinburgh players charging. This is how they scored, it was quick.

:45:07. > :45:12.Edinburgh defenders have to stand on the goal-line, five metres back from

:45:13. > :45:21.the scrum. They will be disappointed to have conceded that try. Just over

:45:22. > :45:27.five minutes left. We have a 8-point game, 20-28 to Connacht. It is not

:45:28. > :45:38.over until it is over. Edinburgh have possession again. Then

:45:39. > :45:46.Whitehouse called them all quite early on there. If the ball does not

:45:47. > :45:58.come out on the Connacht it is a scrum to Edinburgh. Dave Heffernan

:45:59. > :46:06.has come on for Connacht. All of the dice are being rolled now. You

:46:07. > :46:16.conceded the Connacht defenders in a line and a fourth one is staggered.

:46:17. > :46:29.There is space on the outside edge. Hopefully Edinburgh can get some

:46:30. > :46:35.success. They have both gone down. Let us go down to Andy Nicol. In the

:46:36. > :46:45.second half Edinburgh have come into this. I thought Toolis has played

:46:46. > :46:53.well. Buckley was good and Bundee Aki has been very good, but at the

:46:54. > :46:58.start has been AJ MacGinty, he scored the try in the first half and

:46:59. > :47:05.he has that interplay and has been in control and defended well. He is

:47:06. > :47:22.my man of the match. Not a bad choice. A penalty for Edinburgh. A

:47:23. > :47:30.points down. If Edinburgh score a try they will get a bonus point for

:47:31. > :47:37.four tries and if they did not win the big get two points. They would

:47:38. > :47:52.get for being within seven and 1.434 tries. -- and one four the four

:47:53. > :47:57.tries. If they get a conversion they consult Chase it and they will get

:47:58. > :48:10.something out of it anyway. I think we know happen here. Down it comes.

:48:11. > :48:17.Watson has it. They shift left. They still have it. They have made

:48:18. > :48:24.ground. They are all at sea. There are still bodies being thrown around

:48:25. > :48:32.the place. It has gone to the ground and Edinburgh have it. The captain

:48:33. > :48:45.will take it on. Five metres, they are coming this side. They go left

:48:46. > :48:53.this time. Ben Toolis this time. Watson is on the rampage. He turns

:48:54. > :48:58.and twists. He lifted the ball which gave Connacht the opportunity to

:48:59. > :49:06.challenge. It will be interesting to see how they got that. I was not

:49:07. > :49:16.sure about that placement. Hamish Watson goes and then the tackle

:49:17. > :49:20.spins him. It is the captain. The referee ordered the penalty really

:49:21. > :49:25.quickly but I think it is fair. Unlucky for Hamish Watson. He is

:49:26. > :49:29.impressive every time. It was clever the way that they turned him so that

:49:30. > :49:38.when he came over on his back it presented Muldoon with that

:49:39. > :49:41.opportunity to get the ball. He has technical ability to hold his body

:49:42. > :49:46.weight. That was disappointing for Edinburgh. But Connacht have been

:49:47. > :49:55.impressive this evening and they look like a team that deserves to be

:49:56. > :50:12.at the top of the league. Edinburgh have been given the ball. They need

:50:13. > :50:18.and must have a good delivery. This is where Edinburgh have two chance

:50:19. > :50:25.their arm. You have two. In the last minute. I suppose you can go for the

:50:26. > :50:31.line but you need something special to score here and looks as if they

:50:32. > :50:45.are ready to attack. This is for a point in the league. 20 seconds to

:50:46. > :50:51.go. It could not be any clearer from the referee. This will be the last

:50:52. > :51:04.play, because Connacht get it they will just it. It has gone down. It

:51:05. > :51:14.is a big decision what to do next. Let us see what happens. He is the

:51:15. > :51:22.coolest man on the park, the referee. It has been a good game. Do

:51:23. > :51:33.not try anything silly. That is fair enough. A massive scrum. The last

:51:34. > :51:35.play because we are in the red zone and the clock has gone beyond 80

:51:36. > :51:52.minutes. Edinburgh with the next shelf, here

:51:53. > :52:05.it comes. They turn it inside. He is on his own here. Surrounded by white

:52:06. > :52:16.shirts. That was some clearance. Highland. A bit of reshuffle to take

:52:17. > :52:22.it in. Could not make much ground. Edinburgh are going right. Short in

:52:23. > :52:32.numbers. They need a good clearance and a quick ball. It is not the

:52:33. > :52:37.quickest. ITV to the left-hand side. Tom Brown on the attack. It goes to

:52:38. > :52:48.ground. There are quite shirts everywhere. Coming up the middle.

:52:49. > :52:56.Penalty coming. Advantage to Edinburgh. The game will continue.

:52:57. > :53:10.Up to the 22. Hamish Watson breaches the line. Still advantage. The

:53:11. > :53:18.captain takes it. The captain rules. The ball is presented. The advantage

:53:19. > :53:24.is still being played. We are still playing at two and a half minutes

:53:25. > :53:31.into overtime. The penalty is in the middle of the field so that changes

:53:32. > :53:41.it. He has taken the steps forward to be in the right place. That would

:53:42. > :53:49.take them, they are going to go for one point. If they get within seven

:53:50. > :53:57.points in total they will get that. I think that is sensible. It is the

:53:58. > :54:00.percentage decision. No cake is easy but the way that Connacht defended I

:54:01. > :54:09.think it is probably the right decision. There is so much to talk

:54:10. > :54:15.about which we will share with our colleagues on the touchline. The

:54:16. > :54:22.second half has been absolutely fascinating in all sorts of ways.

:54:23. > :54:30.Hidalgo-Clyne has the chance to secure a losing bonus for Edinburgh.

:54:31. > :54:53.Almost directly in front of the posts. The final kick of the game.

:54:54. > :55:00.He gave it a good thump. He got the two flags. That is as much as he

:55:01. > :55:04.could have expected and hoped for because it has got Edinburgh

:55:05. > :55:09.something out of this game. They have a lot to talk about and a lot

:55:10. > :55:14.to be pleased with in the second half when they fought back from what

:55:15. > :55:20.seemed like an impossible task. It has been a fantastic match batting

:55:21. > :55:26.we have seen by Connacht are at the top of the league. They know how to

:55:27. > :55:32.close the game and to get in front and to deal with it when they do get

:55:33. > :55:42.in front. They give it everything. They are a complete side. Edinburgh

:55:43. > :55:48.has shown considerable improvement. In the second half especially

:55:49. > :56:00.popular, dangerous side. Connacht at the top of the league. They were so

:56:01. > :56:06.well organised, so well led by John Muldoon, they deserved their victory

:56:07. > :56:11.but also their 5-point victory and that stretches their lead at the top

:56:12. > :56:15.of the Guinness Pro12. The other teams watching this will take some

:56:16. > :56:20.heart from the way that Edinburgh managed to put Connacht under

:56:21. > :56:27.pressure because when they are under pressure there are some groans that

:56:28. > :56:31.could be exploited. At the end of the day it was still a

:56:32. > :56:38.disappointment for Edinburgh. They do get a losing bonus point because

:56:39. > :56:48.the final score is Edinburgh, 23 - Connacht, 28. An unbelievable second

:56:49. > :56:55.half year at Murrayfield. Connacht were too strong. It was a good

:56:56. > :56:59.second half. Edinburgh dug really deep because they were blown away in

:57:00. > :57:04.the first half, so to get the bonus point in the end I did not see any

:57:05. > :57:08.of that happening at half time. They played better in the second half and

:57:09. > :57:12.came away with the bonus point. At the end of the season it will be

:57:13. > :57:16.tight for a player positions and European Champions Cup positions.

:57:17. > :57:23.That point may be important in the end. What about decision-making at

:57:24. > :57:25.the end of the match? There were potential opportunities for

:57:26. > :57:32.penalties but they pushed for scrums. When you are a points down

:57:33. > :57:36.and you've only got two minutes left you need to scorers so get yourself

:57:37. > :57:43.into bonus point territory and NCT Getty chance to get a match-winning

:57:44. > :57:47.score. They got there in the end. They got the point that they needed

:57:48. > :57:53.and the point that the second half performance deserved because it was

:57:54. > :58:00.very good. Connacht are better than anyone be seen so this season. They

:58:01. > :58:02.were given a chance by Edinburgh in the second half but every ten

:58:03. > :58:07.Edinburgh scored Connacht came back into control. Edinburgh got close

:58:08. > :58:14.but I always felt Connacht had enough to step away from them. That

:58:15. > :58:21.was impressive. It was a 5-point victory with the bonus point. You

:58:22. > :58:30.can get reports and match analysis on BBC Scotland right now. Next week

:58:31. > :58:33.we will be here doing a live rugby show on the BBC, the Scotland Six

:58:34. > :58:40.Nations against France, that will be on BBC Radio Scotland and we will be

:58:41. > :58:46.back for the game in Glasgow on Sunday against Cardiff and that

:58:47. > :58:52.should be a cracker. Join us for that if you can. At Murrayfield

:58:53. > :58:58.Edinburgh putting a massive second half performance but it was not

:58:59. > :58:59.enough. Connacht are supreme and are the champions so far. Goodbye for

:59:00. > :59:05.now.