Edinburgh v Connacht Pro 12 Rugby


Edinburgh v Connacht

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Edinburgh had a vital win against Scarlets here last week but tonight

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face 18 top of the Pro12. Five games unbeaten, this will be anything but

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easy. Edinburgh against Connacht. It is good to have you with us. A cold

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evening here in Edinburgh. It will be a tough one tonight against top

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of the table Connacht, who come in on confident form. Andy Nicol, they

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were happy with the performance last week and their resilience but they

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will have to show is a real performance this evening.

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They are against a better side tonight. Connacht at home would have

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had a guaranteed victory. They have had the continuity in the selection

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and it has made a huge difference. If Edinburgh want to get into the

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play-offs and they want to be successful in that regard, they have

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to try and beat the likes of Connacht.

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They will want to finish in the top four. The final in May here in

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Murrayfield. It is all about Connacht. You are joining us in the

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company of our commentary team. Not that long ago, it would have

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been more or less in conceding all -- inconceivable to be billing this

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game against fifth-place Edinburgh. They are in with a shout of getting

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in the top four. Connacht can't afford to lose it either. Connacht

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clipped the Osprey's wings. They have made four changes from the team

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that beat the Ospreys. Nathan White has played three times in the six

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Nations for Ireland. Quinn who plays his first game of 2016 and the

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captain returns for his first Pro12 game of this season. They may not be

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household names in Scottish terms but they have been playing some good

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rugby and winning some very good results, which have taken them to

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the top of the league. As we hit round of 17, remarkably, in the

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Guinness Pro12. The Edinburgh team in the red and black kit.

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A warm welcome from a thin crowd, perhaps influenced by the very scary

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weather forecast. It is an ideal night for rugby. Only one victory

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against Connacht in their last games for Edinburgh. A familiar look to

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the back row. Chris Dean comes in from the bench. The captain, Neil

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Cochrane, again at hooker. The replacements, once again. Edinburgh

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looks to have some strength in depth, despite the fact they have

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nine injuries, five internationals away. And plenty of book and case on

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the Connacht bench. A Welsh man is in charge. Ben Whitehouse.

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Connacht have the ball and we'll get this game underway, playing from

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left to right. Edinburgh in the red and black traditional outfit. Trying

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to repeat the performance of last week, when they ground out the

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result against the Scarlets. Both teams disposing of Welsh opposition.

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And coming into this game with everything at stake, really. The

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competition reaches its critical moments. And testing times in the

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opening stages. Chris Paterson, they are not a set of household names,

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the Scottish team, but a very good team.

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A very good team. We can see how they are going to come and play

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tonight. Enterprising stuff. The Edinburgh defence is as strong

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as it has always been. The first penalty to Edinburgh. We were

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pointing out earlier, Chris, that although they have scored a lot of

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Christ, they have conceded 35 tries, nearly double the amount Edinburgh

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have conceded. It is due to the fact they have laid

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some expansive teams. Richie getting on top of the ball, earning the

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penalty. The head coach, Pat Lam, has wrought the expansive style to

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the Irish team. Good from Edinburgh. A good

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attacking position. In the right territory as far as the city is

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concerned. The explosive Hamish Watson. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne with this

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very welcome match time. Holding the Edinburgh players up. Plenty of men

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for Edinburgh. Ball in hand, taking the game to the

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opposition, like they were last week. Out it comes again. A good

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opportunity here. Blair Kinghorn on the left-hand side. Having to range

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a long pass. This time, Connacht. Straight over the ball. A good

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example there of how they close the game down.

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He eventually wins a penalty. A well-organised defence. Buckley,

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number one, strong over the ball. His arms are not resting on the

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floor. A good decision. Edinburgh had a good phase of possession. They

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kept the ball close to the breakdown. A bit of space on the

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outside edge would have challenged a bit more. It is crucial to keep

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possession. 17 stone Buckley. We are just having

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a look at the flags on the East side, favouring Connacht at the

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moment. Left to right. Kieran Marmion is breaking. High tackle

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advantage coming to Connacht. Just that pace. Here they come again.

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Sean O'Brien takes it in. Buckley. Advantage is still being played. The

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move in underneath the Edinburgh post and Ben Whitehouse calls it a

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day. Round the back of the neck. And it

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is going no further at the moment with that. Setting down a marker on

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the way he wants the game played. After a wonderful set piece moves.

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Options left, right and centre. Kieran Marmion gets the ball back

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and Cornell Du Preez is there. There wasn't a swinging arm. More of a

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grab. Just a penalty, no yellow card. That was an example of how

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Connacht or why Connacht are top of the league. They like to play a set

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piece move with some wonderful options. Like an impressive

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goalkicker for Deep Throat -- for the first kick of the match. Well

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within his range. He probably has the wind in his favour. Certainly

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blowing left to right as we watch the game. Three conversions and

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three penalties last week against the Ospreys.

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Of the post. This is where the potential for countering Cancun. The

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right-hand side has a magnetic quality. Over the last couple of

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games, it has been rattling. The posts are still swinging from the

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blow. Beautifully struck. You could tell he wasn't certain it would curl

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in. It is tough from the left-hand side.

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Some really good detail from Edinburgh. You can see Alex is

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facing the post, looking at the post. He was waiting for that to

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happen. Good discipline by the Edinburgh second row.

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Here they come again, Connacht. Playing at pace. Pat Lam Coaching

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the way that he plays, with strength and passion. The ball is coming

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through the hands so quickly. Last week's man-of-the-match, is always a

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threat. Rob Downey is certainly familiar to some Scottish rugby fans

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in the middle. Donaldson taking it in. They have an extra man out wide

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if they had gone wide. Patients from Connacht. The

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execution. Aly Muldowney shifts it. Kieran Marmion constantly posing a

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threat. And, again, through the hands to Bundee Aki. They have the

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tops for a -- top scorer in the Pro12 on the right wing. It is taken

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back to Blair Kinghorn... But there is no advantage. The referee takes

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it back. Let's get the early thoughts of Andy Nichol at the

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touchline. Really impressed with Connacht. You

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can see why they are top of the Pro12. The cohesion and continuity

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in selection. Their game management is good, they are running lines of

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each other. It is the sign of a side full of confidence and a side that

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has been together for all of these weeks so it will be a real challenge

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for Edinburgh tonight. It was good defence to force the turnover but

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they will be asked questions tonight they haven't been asked in the last

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few weeks. I agree. That last phase of play

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proved their patience. They were challenging the Edinburgh defence.

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They couldn't go forward because the Connacht wall was quick.

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Every single Connacht player at this stage is posing a threat and looking

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confident with ball in hand. A good shot by Edinburgh. A mess, is

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the technical term. This is where Edinburgh have been

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strong all season, the set piece, the scrum. The front row, obviously,

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the front row is with Scotland but every time Rory Sutherland and the

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others have constantly delivered. It will be powerful scrum from

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Edinburgh. They will want to repeat that.

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As we heard, questions will be asked. Denis Buckley. They are

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themselves solid rocks on which the scrum is built. Quin Roux and Aly

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Muldowney behind them. And again, it is going round. This time Edinburgh

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have it and a chance to prove it at the left-hand side. The referee has

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called a ruck. Trying to create space but driven back by Connacht.

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This time, Hidalgo-Clyne takes on the responsibility yourself and just

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a quick look there from Ciaran O'Halloran.

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The pressure is intense. Hidalgo-Clyne got his kick after a

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lot of hard work. Edinburgh had to work hard to get the platform to

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clear. Connacht sensing ascendancy, with nothing to show for it after

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ten minutes. It has been virtually all Connacht,

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apart from that early testing time. Well taken at the line-out. Some

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momentum here for the city said. -- city

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. Kieran Marmion shift it quickly. They have men on the left-hand side,

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in front of the Edinburgh funds. Huddled in the biting wind in the

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East stand. Again, the Edinburgh line speed is good. They go left

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again, Connacht. Harlem globetrotter stuff on the left-hand side. Again,

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into the wind. I'm not sure that is the best tactic into the wind,

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unless the chase is better. Kieran Marmion has found a big space here

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and Blair Kinghorn is going to have to watch it go out I'm afraid. If it

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was tennis, it would be a vantage Connacht.

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It was well managed. The initial kick was too far Connacht kick at

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the right time, opening up the space to kick. Whereas Edinburgh, on both

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occasions, kicked very early in the phases. After being under the cosh,

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as an Edinburgh they are I would want some ball in hand and build up

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the phases to build up an attack. Well taken, again. The line-out is

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working smoothly at this stage., Connacht giving Edinburgh no chance

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to recycle quickly. Connacht took a step early there, right in front of

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Ben Whitehouse, the referee. He is playing advantage coming to

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Edinburgh. Hidalgo-Clyne goes up and back he comes. Another person

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inside. He is offside. Early. Nothing coming off that in

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particular. A penalty and a chance for Edinburgh to relieve the

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pressure. I like to see the referee having a

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look for advantage. I think the game can be so structured for the most

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part of the game, it is good to have an opportunity for advantage.

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Offside deep in Edinburgh territory. They will commit. A lovely strike.

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I don't think that with his haircut last week!

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He is a good player. He is nice with ball in hand. The general consensus

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is that he might be more effective in a number 12 shirt but could slot

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in at number ten easily. I don't think that was quite the

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plan but Edinburgh have it. The first time the line-out hasn't quite

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gone to form. They have possession, which is the main thing. Phil

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Burleigh has been ripped. Knock-on. He was under pressure, Chris, from

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the point he had to jump to take the path.

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All of the Connacht defenders are on their feet so there is very little

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space for them to go to. The line speed, the speed at which the

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defence can come forward, is much quicker. It put Phil Burleigh under

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pressure. That ripped tackle is a tactic, going for the ball and

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trying to dislodge it. It was not forward. Edinburgh are getting a lot

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of set pieces to play from, they are all in their own half and very much

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in favour of Connacht so far. The scrum has been stable.

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An interesting setup from Edinburgh. Behind the scrum it looks like they

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want to spread the ball across the field and challenge the Connacht

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defence. It's going nowhere so far. It will

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have to go somewhere now because the referee has said though. Here they

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come at pace. Phil Burleigh switches out into the centre. And again, good

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ground made by Edinburgh. This time Phil Burleigh again. He thought he

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had a gap but there were men on the outside again. That has given

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Connacht the chance. Being kept in play. There are five Edinburgh

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players ranged across the pitch. Phil Burleigh goes the other way.

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And the end result is a penalty to Connacht. From appear that look like

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the wrong decision. Well, I think Edinburgh kicked too

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early. Wonderful defence by Matt Healy. He chose to, the short side.

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It is the safe option because it is in outside channel if they give away

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a penalty but they have to have a more positive outlook, work hard and

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try to get a second touch. Putting pressure through his hands on the

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turf. That is the penalty from in Whitehouse. It was an opportunity

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for Edinburgh to counterattack. An opportunity missed, unfortunately.

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I am thinking about the point made by Chris, Matt Healy was the top

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scorer in the league. A brick tackle, that is what we were talking

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about. Edinburgh almost nicked it. Open play, the referee describes.

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That is one way to call it! Broken play.

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It is a real fight for the ball in contact, isn't it?

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Straightening up. Connacht have a stack of men and the charge.

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Clearing out his ruthless. Concentrating on the left-hand side

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again. Here is a break. Slipping the tackle. Back it comes for Kieran

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Marmion again. At the heart of everything. There is a whole line of

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Connacht macro white shirts. The pressure is horrendous. Kieran

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Marmion on the charge is Nathan White. Quinn group comes to ground

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and the ball coming back so quickly. Ben Aki slips it to O'Halloran. A

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decent attempt at the intersection rather than a deliberate knock-on.

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One of these ones, if it had stuck it would have been so different.

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Good refereeing from Ben Whitehouse. He didn't deserve a yellow for that.

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An attempt to upset the ball. So often we see this resulting in a

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penalty and the sin bin. I think we see Blair Kinghorn... It is his

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chest. There should be some alarm bells ringing in the Edinburgh

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defence because once again, Connacht are getting quick ball at the

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breakdown. Ten or 11 phases in Edinburgh territory. The good thing

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for Edinburgh is it is still 0-0. They are not registering points.

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Nearly 20 minutes gone. On the clock has stopped for an injury.

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Let's rejoin Andy Nicol. Looking at what is happening here tonight, he

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must be impressed with Connacht tonight. When Edinburgh had the ball

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in attack, I was impressed at the Connacht defence. It is the

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organisation which comes from playing week in, week out. They have

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been solid in defence. It will be a real challenge for Edinburgh

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tonight. Well, and from so far. It is not

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going to have a load of scores but I suspect sooner or later this

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pressure will be a score. Keep an eye on number four men for

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Connacht, Danie Poolman. Keep an eye on him.

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Advantage once again going to Connacht.

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It is the obvious thing to do. Good captain the. Ben White has just

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asked a question. Are the players pushing early? Danie Poolman in the

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wider shot, behind the scrum. Brown can't leave the blindside. Danie

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Poolman goes around. It is a difficult decision. Difficult to

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cover. 14-3 between Scarlett and Treviso.

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Here is Danie Poolman. Three tries so far. Potency on both flanks for

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Connacht. Moving inside now. Moving everybody inside. Underneath the

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Edinburgh posts. Making more ground, five metres out. Kieran Marmion

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delivers. Back inside the five metre mark. Coming left again. Turn back

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inside. The rarest move. 13 offside. Matt Scott almost slipping through.

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Danger for Edinburgh. Nathan White. Advantage is still there and they

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have men over on the side if they move it quickly. Instead they go

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through the middle and that, to me, is a good score. They have made it

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all the way. AJ MacGinty repeating his score of last week. Edinburgh

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are not happy about the way it was delivered. Hidalgo-Clyne is

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questioning some part of the move. Here is Bundee Aki. AJ MacGinty

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hitting a lovely line. There is space left by the defenders and he

:26:57.:27:01.

comes back, hitting the ball as far as that and it is good timing onto

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the ball also good distributional Bundee Aki. He will normally hit the

:27:10.:27:14.

ball at pace and take it into contact but it was patient build-up

:27:15.:27:19.

and a clinical finish. Hidalgo-Clyne what questioning the playwright in

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the previous ruck. We will have a look at that full is top no mistake.

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Aly Muldowney in midfield for Connacht is down. This is the try.

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AJ MacGinty holds this depth. It gets to Bundee Aki's hands. He is

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bringing the defence onto him and the pace comes from AJ MacGinty.

:27:49.:27:56.

Good refreshing to see a strike runner run at the Gap, not at the

:27:57.:28:00.

man. He held it and released it at the

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perfect time. Blair Kinghorn delivers. Still a man down. I think

:28:04.:28:14.

that is somebody's day done. Connacht move it. They have men over

:28:15.:28:24.

here. Although Tom Brown did well to stop Danie Poolman. He is isolated

:28:25.:28:38.

here. He needs help. Sticking it up the narrow channel. Edinburgh are

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still a man down and will have to make a quick replacement.

:28:43.:28:47.

Matt Scott has gone off. A hand injury. A blow for Edinburgh.

:28:48.:28:51.

An opportunity for them on the far side now.

:28:52.:29:02.

Another chance for Edinburgh. A path to Tom Brown. Blair Kinghorn is

:29:03.:29:13.

inside. Better possession from Edinburgh. And again they have

:29:14.:29:21.

conceded an the ground. I think it is the loose head. So

:29:22.:29:27.

effective in the set piece. That is two penalties. Ben Whitehouse is

:29:28.:29:33.

confirming the substitution for Matt Scott. To me it looked like he was

:29:34.:29:41.

carrying his hand. Sam Beard is coming on as a replacement.

:29:42.:29:47.

There we have the first change for Edinburgh.

:29:48.:29:53.

Andy Nicol is closer. It is sad seeing Scott there. He has had a bad

:29:54.:30:05.

run of injuries. Last week he was one of only two fit centres for

:30:06.:30:14.

Scotland. Scotland can accommodate that, but it is sad to see him

:30:15.:30:24.

injured again. A hefty price to pay for defensive duties. Moving

:30:25.:30:28.

forward. Off they go again. Aki takes it.

:30:29.:30:56.

Again an attack on the left-hand side. Edinburgh's defence is shed to

:30:57.:31:07.

the limits -- is stretched to the limits. They have turned it though.

:31:08.:31:14.

They have taken this. They have plenty of men on the left. Split the

:31:15.:31:26.

defenders. A chance for a corner to run it back. MacGinty takes it in.

:31:27.:31:38.

A much better defence from Edinburgh. MacGinty tried to run

:31:39.:31:47.

back but he was halted. It is better to see the Edinburgh defenders under

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feet ready to come forward and make contact. -- on their feet. Against

:31:51.:32:02.

this left-hand attack. Hands away, Edinburgh. He pulled two players

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over. They have an advantage. The advantage has come to Edinburgh for

:32:21.:32:27.

the knock-on. It was deeper bass -- it was a pure pass. It was maybe

:32:28.:32:33.

Nathan White outside but it didn't throw the defence, although it full

:32:34.:32:43.

to his team-mate. I hence to their, Crest, the Edinburgh becoming more

:32:44.:32:50.

competitive on the ground. That is Bundee Aki tried to make up for his

:32:51.:32:54.

per pass by coming up and thumping Sam Beard. The referee has to watch

:32:55.:33:03.

some of those tackles. Always when Hamish Watson is in the field you

:33:04.:33:07.

will find out he is said to referee player. He defends really well. But

:33:08.:33:12.

also the two number ones for Edinburgh are effective. His

:33:13.:33:22.

workrate is simply phenomenal, he seems to be covering every inch of

:33:23.:33:29.

this vast expanse. This is a good position for Edinburgh. It is an

:33:30.:33:34.

opportunity to go left or right. Their set pieces are usually pretty

:33:35.:33:38.

solid. It is important for Edinburgh to strike well and maintain

:33:39.:33:42.

possession and put pressure on Connacht. They have three men on

:33:43.:33:51.

each side and he had a good look on the side. Christine and Tom Brown.

:33:52.:34:09.

-- Chris Dean. That is a huge psychological goal. The backs are

:34:10.:34:17.

slapping the followers in the back because that was a big effort. There

:34:18.:34:23.

was power coming through. You very rarely see the Edinburgh scrum being

:34:24.:34:26.

disrupted like that. That was a phenomenal effort. It was a high

:34:27.:34:32.

position to defend from and the foreword that. Technically sound and

:34:33.:34:39.

losing in confidence, you have to say. Their body language is good.

:34:40.:34:48.

But there is only one score in its. There will come a point in the game

:34:49.:34:52.

where Edinburgh get the upper hand I get more possession and they have

:34:53.:34:55.

two be attentive to the scoreboard when that happens. They will have

:34:56.:35:02.

the wind in the second half if it stays as it is at the moment. It is

:35:03.:35:17.

not a howling gale. Edinburgh are doing their best to disrupt this. He

:35:18.:35:25.

is taking it on himself. It goes out to MacGinty. There is the South

:35:26.:35:33.

African Pullman taken down in full flow. -- Poolman. Taking a direct

:35:34.:35:45.

route, this is punishing staff. Doing his best to disrupt it but

:35:46.:35:50.

they are shifting it. Pullman is yelling for the ball. MacGinty takes

:35:51.:35:59.

it on. He uses foreword. Well contested by Edinburgh, but again it

:36:00.:36:08.

took two to tango that time and again they got left. Over the top,

:36:09.:36:19.

Tom McCartney. Half way into the five metre area. Mervyn, Pullman,

:36:20.:36:31.

this is punishing staff. There were a stack of players offside there but

:36:32.:36:36.

they got away with it. This time Edinburgh have won it and that is a

:36:37.:36:42.

huge psychological blow because of you can defend like that and turn

:36:43.:36:46.

the ball over Juventus go as we are hitting the half hour, it is still

:36:47.:36:54.

0-7. That was impressive from Edinburgh. There is Toolis. Working

:36:55.:37:04.

hard. That is phenomenal defence where Edinburgh and the knock-on

:37:05.:37:15.

cons. Really good. Good tackles. An interesting exchange between the

:37:16.:37:25.

referee and a player there, I think he was making it clear to him that

:37:26.:37:33.

he was aware... That he was aware what was going on. An exchange

:37:34.:37:37.

between the referee and the gentleman on the other side as well.

:37:38.:37:49.

This is a big scrum again. Edinburgh now it is important, as to Connacht.

:37:50.:38:03.

On the five metre line here. It has been taken on. He didn't quite get

:38:04.:38:24.

that one. No, but John Muldoon put pressure on it. These are the things

:38:25.:38:28.

that make a big difference. John Muldoon does not get out of that

:38:29.:38:33.

scrum and work harder the first contact that would have been an easy

:38:34.:38:36.

clearance. These are the little things that when they are done

:38:37.:38:40.

properly have a big effect on the game and John Muldoon meeting

:38:41.:38:44.

deciders captained should be putting the ball under pressure. We are into

:38:45.:38:52.

the final terminus of the first half. -- ten minutes. Hamish Watson

:38:53.:39:01.

gets out of the way and down it goes. A penalty. They have a run

:39:02.:39:13.

together to go. It is interesting, the referee has already called time

:39:14.:39:21.

off. The first my players might be celebrating, by Chris is not

:39:22.:39:25.

celebrating. -- the first my players.

:39:26.:39:35.

Check the grounding. He is safe enough in terms of territory. Tom

:39:36.:39:50.

Brown has lost control of that, clearly. Danie Poolman will be upset

:39:51.:39:59.

with that. But Tom Brown did well and dislodge the ball. Has the Slade

:40:00.:40:08.

and the diagnostic on from the game. That is always guaranteed to get you

:40:09.:40:16.

over the line safely. A great effort from Edinburgh to defend. There was

:40:17.:40:27.

no try. It is an interesting decision. Anton Bresler. They are

:40:28.:40:38.

debating what to do. It is going forward so it needs to be a yellow

:40:39.:40:47.

card. I think the speed at which the ball was progressing forward, it is

:40:48.:40:50.

highly likely that was going to result in a yellow card. He came in

:40:51.:40:56.

for the side under the referee's nose and blotted out. A tough gig

:40:57.:41:13.

has just got tougher. I am not resemble fiberglass it comes. Five

:41:14.:41:20.

metres. -- I am not exaggerating because here it comes. They have put

:41:21.:41:31.

it down. Jake Heenan has taken the ball to ground.

:41:32.:41:42.

Initially this was defended well by Edinburgh. You see the lads getting

:41:43.:41:47.

in there and slowing the momentum down and Connacht taking their time.

:41:48.:41:55.

He is controlling where the ball is and the power comes through and then

:41:56.:42:00.

to the right of the picture you can see Jake Heenan. Great ten eight and

:42:01.:42:10.

great spatial awareness, knowing exactly where they were. Another

:42:11.:42:16.

difficult chance for Craig Ronaldson over on the far side. Kicking from

:42:17.:42:29.

the left foot. Not exactly ideal. He gave it a good go. Straight through

:42:30.:42:42.

the post. That is a great kick. 14-0 four Connacht. This has been a

:42:43.:42:51.

dominant performance for Connacht. Edinburgh's scrum was good but that

:42:52.:42:56.

has gone as well. They are down to 14 men for the next seven or eight

:42:57.:43:01.

minutes, so Edinburgh need to dig deep year because they could lose

:43:02.:43:06.

this game before half time. They need to step up. They need to get

:43:07.:43:12.

anything in the last six minutes of this first half. Here is an

:43:13.:43:22.

opportunity. He fancies it himself. Tom Brown goes them. The intensity

:43:23.:43:33.

of the challenge. Not conceding an inch. He switches quickly. Great

:43:34.:43:43.

presence of mind. It goes to decree. Now there is a chance for Edinburgh.

:43:44.:43:54.

Highland goes. He needs help. Fantastic. Through their hands,

:43:55.:44:02.

there is a charity for Hamish Watson. He tries to get the back

:44:03.:44:10.

door. Connacht will not hang about because they can see a huge gap

:44:11.:44:13.

opening up in front of them. The advantages over. Edinburgh losing

:44:14.:44:22.

their shape there when they lost the ball. The Edinburgh crowd are being.

:44:23.:44:33.

Then white is no doubt about it just now. You cannot click the ball out

:44:34.:44:45.

of someone's hands. -- kick. This is a penalty here. If we rewind 15

:44:46.:44:57.

seconds there was a wonderful opportunity for Edinburgh to score a

:44:58.:45:06.

child. -- to score a try. The end result was a penalty. It is the time

:45:07.:45:17.

to do it, just before half time. They are defensive again, which is

:45:18.:45:24.

frustrating for Edinburgh. It is keyed to the midfield effort. So

:45:25.:45:38.

easy, so easy the delivery. It is so easy in till it hits your shoulder.

:45:39.:45:51.

That is a good kick. And there is a penalty. That will give them a lift.

:45:52.:45:59.

Jamie Ritchie making up for his earlier mistake. A penalty. A

:46:00.:46:09.

penalty for Edinburgh. It is important that Edinburgh get

:46:10.:46:11.

something before half time. Here's Danny Healy 's sizing up his

:46:12.:46:24.

options. That is a penalty. Edinburgh have now been put into the

:46:25.:46:31.

red zone by Phil Burleigh. We have about two and a half minutes.

:46:32.:46:38.

Edinburgh are down to 14 men so they are taking their time going to this

:46:39.:46:43.

line-up, but they will not take too long. It is two minutes until half

:46:44.:46:48.

time. Hopefully a concerted approach from Edinburgh. They would take any

:46:49.:46:56.

score at the moment. The icing of the cake would be could go the whole

:46:57.:47:03.

way. Hamish Watson has a look. Trying to drive him to the line.

:47:04.:47:07.

They need to get McCartney out of there. That is all this delivery.

:47:08.:47:23.

That is high by Ben Aki. Hamish Watson, I gain that man, the missing

:47:24.:47:33.

man. They have numbers this time. Good possession. We need a bit of

:47:34.:47:40.

accuracy here, for Edinburgh, and some patience. It is available but

:47:41.:47:53.

it is very slow from Edinburgh. There is one minute remaining. We

:47:54.:48:09.

are into the last minute of play. A score here would be good. They have

:48:10.:48:11.

numbers left. There is a gap year. It is slow. The

:48:12.:48:37.

momentum is lost. Almost the game. -- almost once again. They have

:48:38.:48:46.

turned it over. They have turned it over and depending on the bounce of

:48:47.:48:52.

the ball it was still in play and we are within seconds of the end of

:48:53.:48:56.

normal time Kinghorn delivers to Tom Brown. Watson has a go on the

:48:57.:49:04.

left-hand side. That is another high tackle. There is a flag. That seemed

:49:05.:49:15.

to be the most severe of the high tackles that we have seen. They do

:49:16.:49:27.

have a tendency to go when high. That is high. From two players.

:49:28.:49:36.

There was an earlier call to have a look at the last look at this one

:49:37.:49:41.

first. There was another incident on the far side that he's still the

:49:42.:49:55.

cat. -- that he is going to look at. That is a yellow card. That is fair

:49:56.:49:58.

enough. If the penalty was committed after

:49:59.:50:16.

the clock had gone into the red, if it was still under 40 minutes the

:50:17.:50:22.

ball would be kicked into touch for a line-up and a try but because it

:50:23.:50:29.

was in the red it is the end of the half so it is the first opportunity.

:50:30.:50:39.

At this stage Edinburgh will take three boys have they can get them.

:50:40.:50:43.

It is a difficult kick. Left-hand side. There are a lot of tired

:50:44.:50:49.

people out there from the first half, so the boys would be welcome

:50:50.:50:57.

for Edinburgh. -- so three points would be welcome for Edinburgh.

:50:58.:51:12.

It is across the face of the goal. A slight hesitation there. They have

:51:13.:51:24.

reached half-time as one might expect with a fairly sound lead, a

:51:25.:51:30.

copper heads of performance from them in the first half, technically

:51:31.:51:34.

sound and active and ruthless when it has been within range and they

:51:35.:51:38.

have taken the scores that they have come. The gap could be much wider,

:51:39.:51:47.

but as it stands at half time it is Edinburgh zero, Connacht 14. A

:51:48.:51:57.

fantastic 40 minutes of rugby from Connacht. Edinburgh have to do all

:51:58.:52:03.

the work in the second half. They are looking good, aren't they? They

:52:04.:52:09.

are. The forwards and backs and the interplay, both the attack and

:52:10.:52:13.

defence, the cohesion, the organisation, it was all there. The

:52:14.:52:20.

only thing they're really kept Edinburgh in the game was the good

:52:21.:52:24.

scrambling defence because this game could have been over. 14-0 down.

:52:25.:52:33.

They are going to have to up their game in a big way and the second

:52:34.:52:38.

half. There are 14 players on both sides now so it is even. There are

:52:39.:52:44.

two yellow cards. There were two incidents throughout the game. I

:52:45.:52:47.

have been impressed by all aspects of this. Hamish Watson always jumped

:52:48.:52:57.

into it, which was a strange tactic. -- almost jumped into it. Edinburgh

:52:58.:53:08.

came out of the box very well. This is great organisation there. We all

:53:09.:53:14.

said this comes from playing every week. That is the understanding.

:53:15.:53:22.

Everyone knows what is happening. Everyone knows what everyone else is

:53:23.:53:26.

doing. They are working together very well. Their interplay was very

:53:27.:53:38.

good. You should never get that sort of distance from a rock like that.

:53:39.:53:43.

Sipping it along. Bundee Aki has been broken. On another day another

:53:44.:53:49.

referee might have said that was intentional, but that was where

:53:50.:53:53.

Edinburgh managed to get that scrambling defence. The pressure

:53:54.:53:59.

they were putting on Edinburgh could be seen pretty quickly. AJ MacGinty

:54:00.:54:09.

scored the child. -- scored a try, and what a try. No one could get

:54:10.:54:14.

their hands anywhere near the ball to slow it down. Connacht are just

:54:15.:54:21.

throwing phase after phase and asking questions of the defensive

:54:22.:54:29.

Edinburgh. Look how many Edinburgh players are rounded post there.

:54:30.:54:34.

Bundee Aki, who is normally at the centre, he came into the first row

:54:35.:54:41.

and then came on the angle. That is the interplay that comes from

:54:42.:54:49.

knowing. That is the understanding that comes from playing every week.

:54:50.:54:54.

He mentioned at the start of the programme that they play every week.

:54:55.:54:58.

This is welcome season and Six Nations. You can see how well they

:54:59.:55:12.

work as a unit. We did a game against Glasgow at the start of the

:55:13.:55:15.

season and it was so much better here against Edinburgh. Connacht are

:55:16.:55:25.

the best team that we have seen for a long time, they are very

:55:26.:55:29.

impressive. Forget the lack of stars, the play for each other and

:55:30.:55:32.

that's something you cannot put money on. A great performance and a

:55:33.:55:39.

great try. One was all about the forwards. Five yards out they were

:55:40.:55:51.

down. Mike it is just well worked and well-controlled. Edinburgh try

:55:52.:55:59.

hard to stop at and turn it around, but the white shirts are always in

:56:00.:56:03.

control and it is the easy finish there. Never once did Edinburgh get

:56:04.:56:14.

anywhere near the ball. He knows that the back years absolutely in

:56:15.:56:18.

control. Bundee Aki comes in but the ball is still at the back. Total

:56:19.:56:25.

control there. That is as good a try as you will see all season. A good

:56:26.:56:31.

push from Edinburgh initially but then the control. It was a most

:56:32.:56:39.

impossible for them to defend. In that situation you have to stop is

:56:40.:56:42.

initially or you will really struggle. Edinburgh took a while to

:56:43.:56:50.

create anything and not create much the scoring opportunity, but they

:56:51.:56:56.

did have one chance. They really had one opportunity and when you're not

:56:57.:57:02.

play well here got to take the one opportunity. They have if you faces

:57:03.:57:09.

here. He goes for the kick and doesn't get it but then Phil

:57:10.:57:14.

Burleigh seize the opportunity. There is the gap. The one-time

:57:15.:57:20.

Edinburgh has had a good run by Highland, but where is the support.

:57:21.:57:27.

This is where they needed quick ball and we needed to see the shape of an

:57:28.:57:34.

attack. Jamie Ritchie holds onto it. That would have been the only

:57:35.:57:38.

opportunity and it had taken it. When they're not play well you have

:57:39.:57:45.

to take any chance. Missing the opportunity to get two points on the

:57:46.:57:49.

board for ever and bra. Other teams are in action tonight. Scarlets are

:57:50.:57:58.

playing just now and bleeding 14-8. -- and they are leading. Glasgow are

:57:59.:58:08.

also in action on Sunday and you can see that live on BBC Alba. I am

:58:09.:58:16.

still revelling in the glory of Risley. The performers in Scotland

:58:17.:58:28.

has been performing. They are scoring try. That was something

:58:29.:58:34.

Scotland can do for many years but now five have been scored. Mike

:58:35.:58:41.

Bennett got in behind the defence. Craig Laidlaw running from the side.

:58:42.:58:46.

It was good to see the interplay between two forwards and backs.

:58:47.:58:57.

Then Russell is scanning, he sees that the numbers are up. After the

:58:58.:59:04.

first game against England, they have looked to play against Wales

:59:05.:59:11.

and Italy. There has been impact off the bench. Duncan Taylor wasn't

:59:12.:59:14.

involved against England but he has had a major impact. He is almost

:59:15.:59:22.

invaluable. And last week against Italy. A massive game for Scotland.

:59:23.:59:29.

They needed the win. Tim Visser came on. Stuart Hogg has been

:59:30.:59:35.

consistently good. Awareness and control. Then Russell came into his

:59:36.:59:42.

own. Look at the attacking threat. Outstanding in the tackle, set

:59:43.:59:49.

piece. Wilson, another impact from the first game. John Hardy has

:59:50.:59:52.

probably been the most consistent performer for Scotland. Alongside

:59:53.:59:59.

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

:00:00.:00:04.

somebody like Stuart Hogg who's got the ability to create that space and

:00:05.:00:09.

off-load, a fantastic try from Tommy Seymour. Scotland are scoring

:00:10.:00:15.

points. Only England have scored more in the six Nations. The defence

:00:16.:00:19.

was outstanding. When you have good defence and the ability to score

:00:20.:00:23.

tries, you have the real deal. They will need to defend up against

:00:24.:00:28.

France at Murrayfield in a week's time. A brutal French side. They are

:00:29.:00:34.

hard-core. It is all physical and you match it.

:00:35.:00:42.

I think Scotland can match it. You have to back up that performance

:00:43.:00:45.

last week and I think we can. I think if we can get the victory

:00:46.:00:50.

against France, we will go against Ireland in the last weekend. It was

:00:51.:00:56.

a bit doom and gloom after the first couple of losses but after the

:00:57.:01:00.

victory, the competition can flick so quickly.

:01:01.:01:04.

It is a cold night but we are smiling. Do you think Scotland can

:01:05.:01:10.

get the victory against France? Yes. The French side is

:01:11.:01:14.

unrecognisable but they are taught. They have run out of ideas. I don't

:01:15.:01:23.

think they have made any difference. It is probably the highest we have

:01:24.:01:28.

been in the table for many years! We can go above France without a date

:01:29.:01:35.

roger-mack doubt. -- without a doubt. The players are confident,

:01:36.:01:43.

scoring tries. There is no reason why we can't kick on from the Italy

:01:44.:01:50.

performance. Who has impressed you? Stuart Hogg

:01:51.:01:54.

has been consistently outstanding such an attacking threat at 15. You

:01:55.:01:59.

have to give him the ball. Johnny Gray, he has put in several shifts.

:02:00.:02:07.

22 tackles last week. 14 or 15 carries. John Hardy has led the

:02:08.:02:12.

defence brilliantly. The set piece last week, the scrum. We had how

:02:13.:02:17.

many scrum penalties? You don't normally see that against Italy.

:02:18.:02:24.

What has been good, you have players like Stuart Hogg and Johnny Gray.

:02:25.:02:32.

Taylor has had a big impact. I love the impact he has brought to the

:02:33.:02:35.

backline. Greig Laidlaw has pulled the strings. So important for

:02:36.:02:45.

Scotland, not just in the points scoring but leadership. Scotland

:02:46.:02:48.

have got that balance and it is what you need. That is why I'm confident

:02:49.:02:54.

they can go on and win made in both their remaining games.

:02:55.:03:00.

In the press conference, the coach said he loves the fact that there

:03:01.:03:05.

are so many leaders from a Scotland brink of you.

:03:06.:03:08.

Edinburgh are going to need some leaders against the team at the top

:03:09.:03:11.

of the league. At the moment I can't see any way

:03:12.:03:15.

back for Edinburgh because there has been a massive drop-off in Connacht.

:03:16.:03:22.

Sometimes these things happen. Everything out to go for Edinburgh

:03:23.:03:23.

in the second The first ten minutes hugely

:03:24.:03:32.

important, particularly for Edinburgh, if they are to take

:03:33.:03:35.

anything from this match. Over to the commentary team. Hugh Dan

:03:36.:03:45.

MacLennan and Don Paterson. A couple of changes in Edinburgh.

:03:46.:03:51.

Simon Berghan has come on for John Andress. Identical change, and 18

:03:52.:04:04.

coming on for a number three. Rodney Ah You has come on for Nathan White

:04:05.:04:11.

in Connacht. Edinburgh playing from left to right, trying to reverse

:04:12.:04:19.

this 14 point deficit. Do you think Edinburgh can get back in?

:04:20.:04:23.

There is always a way back. The disappointing thing is it looks as

:04:24.:04:28.

though the rain is starting to fall. It is harder to chase a score if the

:04:29.:04:32.

weather gets in the way. Edinburgh have to look after the ball and get

:04:33.:04:38.

into the game. The other point we should have

:04:39.:04:42.

mentioned very briefly at the start of the second half is that Connacht

:04:43.:04:47.

will be playing with 14 men for the best part of ten minutes because

:04:48.:04:52.

Tiernan O'Halloran has been removed from play, just before the interval.

:04:53.:04:58.

Edinburgh have a numerical advantage. Normally a team would

:04:59.:05:05.

capitalise on that. Here is a chance for the top the second time they

:05:06.:05:21.

have made a break. Again, Hidalgo-Clyne. Phil

:05:22.:05:33.

My arithmetic is slightly wonky because Anton Bresler still has time

:05:34.:05:45.

to make on his yellow card. Cornell Du Preez have a look but he has

:05:46.:05:52.

probably taken the wrong option. They go left, Blair Kinghorn. More

:05:53.:05:57.

numbers here for Edinburgh. Hidalgo-Clyne goes back this way.

:05:58.:06:06.

Connacht are stretched here. If Edinburgh can get in quickly...

:06:07.:06:12.

Cornell Du Preez. Well taken from Damien Hoyland. He has missed it. A

:06:13.:06:22.

free ball. Phil Burleigh. The ball was out. He hasn't managed to

:06:23.:06:31.

relieve the pressure. A poor kick. Good pressure from Edinburgh.

:06:32.:06:36.

Good start to the second half from Edinburgh. They have come out with

:06:37.:06:42.

intent. Added to that, Anton Bresler is rejoining after his sin billing.

:06:43.:06:49.

A couple of very good attacks from Edinburgh. Looking sharp, Damien

:06:50.:07:00.

Hoyland. Much better from Edinburgh at the early part of the second

:07:01.:07:03.

half. A good delivery here would be a good

:07:04.:07:11.

move. Well taken. Edinburgh don't have any go forward because Connacht

:07:12.:07:17.

have driven them back. Again, the suggestion of a high tackle. Cornell

:07:18.:07:21.

Du Preez being held down and there is a penalty coming for a side

:07:22.:07:25.

entry. Edinburgh have an advantage they can use here. Plenty of men to

:07:26.:07:30.

the left if they can move it quickly. Phil Burleigh. Five metres

:07:31.:07:39.

to go. Hidalgo-Clyne. Edinburgh stepping up the pace. Rodney Ah You

:07:40.:07:46.

goes over. Advantage being played. The long path, looking for Cornell

:07:47.:07:53.

Du Preez. And Edinburgh have scored. The referee is going to have another

:07:54.:08:00.

look. I am not entirely sure why. They are checking the past, they

:08:01.:08:03.

want to see if the final pass was forward. Any reason I cannot award

:08:04.:08:10.

the try. It drifted long and highly.

:08:11.:08:19.

Sitting behind it, it looked fine. A really good start to the second

:08:20.:08:24.

half. Here is the long path. Damien Hoyland through it off his left

:08:25.:08:29.

hand. It looks back to me, no problem at all. In the outside

:08:30.:08:35.

channel, taken out of the hands of Cornell Du Preez.

:08:36.:08:40.

You may award the try. A score to Edinburgh. All of a

:08:41.:08:48.

sudden they have a glimmer of hope because that was a splendid finish.

:08:49.:08:53.

Good to see Damien Hoyland having the awareness and skills. A

:08:54.:08:58.

tremendous football player, fearing the space and being able to get the

:08:59.:09:02.

ball out there. A good long pass from his left hand. He has carried

:09:03.:09:08.

hard and defended well. He gets his reward.

:09:09.:09:17.

Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, from his preferred side. He has pulled it the

:09:18.:09:25.

other way instead of across the face of the goal. Edinburgh are finally

:09:26.:09:31.

on the scoreboard. They have five points. Andy Nichol.

:09:32.:09:38.

I think Solomons has earned his corn at half-time. Quick ball, on the

:09:39.:09:45.

front foot. When you have got good players and that kind of vision, you

:09:46.:09:49.

can see the difference. An important start.

:09:50.:09:57.

Edinburgh got the ball a few times in the build-up to that, which is so

:09:58.:10:01.

crucial when you are looking to find spaces, especially outside. Connacht

:10:02.:10:06.

go long. They will try and win some territory. Edinburgh keeping it in

:10:07.:10:15.

Vegas time. -- in play this time. The rain seems to has eased off,

:10:16.:10:20.

although it is not as easy to pick out for us here in the West stand.

:10:21.:10:30.

Kieran Marmion releases it. Again, they have three men over here.

:10:31.:10:33.

Cutting through the defence from Edinburgh. Kieran Marmion returns.

:10:34.:10:42.

They are going all the way. Slicing through the Edinburgh defence. AJ

:10:43.:10:49.

MacGinty goes in. Good pressure. The referee is happy so far. And a

:10:50.:11:06.

flourish to finish. Bundee Aki. It opened up too easily? So powerful

:11:07.:11:13.

and quick on his feet. The Edinburgh defence let them take the initiative

:11:14.:11:16.

and come forward. Before that, some of the rest build-up a. Outstanding.

:11:17.:11:27.

Forward and backs handling at pace. Bundee Aki is too good to give that

:11:28.:11:30.

kind of space and time to. A difficult tackle for the tight head

:11:31.:11:37.

prop. If we see that again on replay, there were so many quality

:11:38.:11:41.

passes, so many quality pieces of skill. A fantastic try from

:11:42.:11:46.

Connacht. The two points added with consummate

:11:47.:11:54.

ease. By Donaldson. It is a feature of their play. The comfort on the

:11:55.:11:59.

ball. It had precision, it had everything.

:12:00.:12:03.

The build-up was phenomenal and Bundee Aki finished it off with a

:12:04.:12:09.

big swan dive. Hitting back so soon is a big blow to Edinburgh as well.

:12:10.:12:16.

Edinburgh have started the second half better. They know they can

:12:17.:12:19.

score tries. They need another couple.

:12:20.:12:25.

As we can see on the top of the screen, a yellow card is to

:12:26.:12:32.

Connacht's continuing disadvantage. You would hardly credit it because

:12:33.:12:35.

of the way they are moving the ball and dominating possession. Well

:12:36.:12:43.

taken by Blair Kinghorn. He made sure he got his body behind it and

:12:44.:12:47.

on top of it. Edinburgh is now beginning to move at pace again.

:12:48.:12:56.

Looking for Damien Hoyland, who has been a threat every time he has got

:12:57.:13:06.

hold of the ball. Again, Edinburgh trying to stretch the Connacht

:13:07.:13:15.

defence. Phil Burleigh takes the kicking option again. Charged down

:13:16.:13:20.

by Tom Brown, which is probably just as well. A bit of a reduction is

:13:21.:13:33.

midfield. -- a bit of a ruck in midfield.

:13:34.:13:38.

Edinburgh have had so little possession, especially in opposition

:13:39.:13:44.

territory. They want to hold onto it. A nice attacking kick but I

:13:45.:13:48.

would like to see them hold onto it. Edinburgh nick another substitution.

:13:49.:13:53.

Another change for Edinburgh. Rory Sutherland leaves the field and

:13:54.:13:57.

Allendale comes on. Very impressed with him. He has been

:13:58.:14:05.

outstanding for Edinburgh this year. -- Alun Dell. He has spent quite a

:14:06.:14:12.

lot of time with Edinburgh injured. An athletic prop, low to the ground

:14:13.:14:20.

and strong. He comes with Mac can cause a bit of damage. Rory

:14:21.:14:29.

Sutherland has impressed me. Edinburgh has suffered a bit upfront

:14:30.:14:31.

with the scrum but a great performance.

:14:32.:14:40.

Simon Berghan have made a significant impression when he came

:14:41.:14:45.

on as a impact player. By no means beyond them but as the yellow card

:14:46.:14:55.

lessons for Connacht, they are just so direct and so powerful... It is

:14:56.:15:00.

barely noticeable that they are playing with 14 men at the moment

:15:01.:15:04.

because they are in total control of where they are and what they are

:15:05.:15:05.

doing. Again, just a flat kick. Tom Brown

:15:06.:15:25.

inside him. Rodney Ah You! Now there is a chance for Edinburgh. Spreads

:15:26.:15:32.

it quickly to Blair Kinghorn and out to the far side. Stopped dead in

:15:33.:15:40.

their tracks. Again, a body. The Edinburgh crowd... The Edinburgh

:15:41.:15:50.

crowd taking umbrage at Bundee Aki. He was arguing there was no ruck but

:15:51.:15:57.

there was. If there hadn't been another defender there, Bundee Aki

:15:58.:16:01.

would have been fair to do that. As you can see, it is now 15 each side.

:16:02.:16:10.

That one shaved the flag on the way through!

:16:11.:16:18.

A knock-on after his high tackle on Hamish Watson.

:16:19.:16:24.

Connacht claiming that the ball was the wrong side of the flag.

:16:25.:16:31.

Edinburgh have it, five metres out. A chance here. And look at the power

:16:32.:16:35.

with which Connacht attack. Edinburgh have a shift moving

:16:36.:16:45.

inside. Here they go again. Size entry. A penalty coming to

:16:46.:16:50.

Edinburgh. Hamish Watson has a go. Inches away from the line.

:16:51.:16:57.

Hidalgo-Clyne weights and goes left. A chance for Edinburgh here.

:16:58.:17:03.

Low and hard, but not enough. Still not there. Jamie Ritchie.

:17:04.:17:18.

Hidalgo-Clyne again. They are stretching the know. Phil Burleigh.

:17:19.:17:26.

A chance here for Blair Kinghorn. It goes out to Damien Hoyland. A score

:17:27.:17:31.

to Edinburgh. Connacht are claiming a forward pass but there is no

:17:32.:17:36.

point. Dead flat is the verdict from the referee. Good enough for

:17:37.:17:40.

Edinburgh. A good score. He does wonderfully

:17:41.:17:47.

well, straightening the line. Comets the defender and get the ball away.

:17:48.:17:53.

This movement is so vital in an attacking sense and good to see from

:17:54.:17:57.

a young player. Damien Hoyland looking shocked again this evening.

:17:58.:18:07.

Dead flat, as the referee contested. A good score from Edinburgh. The

:18:08.:18:13.

distribution and fixing from the backs to score in the right-hand

:18:14.:18:16.

corner. A good chance here for

:18:17.:18:21.

Hidalgo-Clyne. Well within his range with his left foot. If you can pull

:18:22.:18:27.

this off, it would get them to within almost the range of a score.

:18:28.:18:35.

There is certainly some degree of confidence to come from that

:18:36.:18:45.

particular move for is top -- for Edinburgh. A perfect view and a

:18:46.:18:50.

perfect finish. The radar is back in action. Edinburgh are creeping back.

:18:51.:18:56.

The big difference now is they are managing to respond to what Connacht

:18:57.:18:59.

are throwing at them. Keeping possession. A lot of phases.

:19:00.:19:05.

A good ball from Phil Burleigh. That movement, straightening the line

:19:06.:19:10.

from Blair Kinghorn. Then to get the timing right for the distribution to

:19:11.:19:15.

Damien Hoyland, keeping his whip in the corner. A good backline and well

:19:16.:19:26.

done from Edinburgh. I think I said there wouldn't be a

:19:27.:19:31.

bag full of scores about an hour ago. There you go. Edinburgh moving

:19:32.:19:43.

it out. Carefully. They have a spring in their step all of a

:19:44.:19:47.

sudden. With possession. With territory. Hidalgo-Clyne shifts them

:19:48.:19:56.

another 20 metres up the field. And just getting to their feet a little

:19:57.:20:02.

bit quicker, Edinburgh. More pressure coming on the contact.

:20:03.:20:11.

Neil Cochrane questioned the referee again, whether the ball was out

:20:12.:20:14.

before it was kicked through. I think Connacht will take that. They

:20:15.:20:20.

managed to get possession. Into the Edinburgh 22. They will be happy

:20:21.:20:25.

with that exchange at kick-off. The rain is coming down heavier now.

:20:26.:20:30.

Connacht are battling their way up to the Edinburgh 22. It is broken

:20:31.:20:39.

play again. Callaghan has been a constant threat. -- Ciaran O

:20:40.:20:47.

Hallahan. Breaking the line. The ball is out but Kieran Marmion has

:20:48.:20:53.

it. He is electric around the back of the pack. It is so easy when he

:20:54.:21:01.

is going forward of course. Rodney Ah You have a go. Watson hanging off

:21:02.:21:12.

him. Kieran Marmion. It is a bit static this time from Connacht and

:21:13.:21:18.

Edinburgh dive them back. Contesting it on the ground. AJ MacGinty has a

:21:19.:21:25.

go himself. He is stopped in his tracks. This time Edinburgh have it

:21:26.:21:30.

again. Good intensity from the Edinburgh defence.

:21:31.:21:36.

It is. Tackle and then back on his feet. It didn't look like he

:21:37.:21:43.

released very quickly but good defence by Edinburgh after the

:21:44.:21:46.

initial break. AJ MacGinty has threatened the line a few times. He

:21:47.:21:51.

did release and then get back. There was a line break before that I Aly

:21:52.:22:00.

Muldowney -- before that by Aly Muldowney. The character of the

:22:01.:22:02.

Edinburgh defence has won the penalty and they have cleared their

:22:03.:22:07.

lines. Not the longest kick in the world

:22:08.:22:08.

from Phil Burleigh. It has moved Edinburgh up. That was

:22:09.:22:19.

the main thing. They have possession now. I get the feeling Hamish Watson

:22:20.:22:29.

could do this in his sleep. Every time Edinburgh direct, he is the one

:22:30.:22:32.

with the ball under his arm. Hidalgo-Clyne changes his mind,

:22:33.:22:43.

comes this way. Edinburgh has extra men again. Blair Kinghorn didn't

:22:44.:22:47.

quite get up to full speed. Fully know the threat Watson poses

:22:48.:23:02.

if he gets on the loose. Burley with a long path. It has worked for

:23:03.:23:07.

Edinburgh on a number of occasions tonight. Looking for the far side.

:23:08.:23:15.

Jamie Ritchie. He has a look. Hidalgo-Clyne. Again, static from

:23:16.:23:23.

Edinburgh. A gap opened up all of the sudden. Almost like slow motion.

:23:24.:23:28.

Connacht were caught flat-footed for once. A slack pass. That's messy.

:23:29.:23:36.

That could have been so good because there were four players outside

:23:37.:23:41.

Burley. And a lot of tired Connacht

:23:42.:23:45.

defenders. The pass was too low and Burley couldn't pick it up. I think

:23:46.:23:51.

it is better from Edinburgh because they are keeping the ball. The

:23:52.:23:55.

knock-on comes from behind Cornell Du Preez, over his head. Sam

:23:56.:23:59.

Hidalgo-Clyne wasn't happy. Edinburgh didn't kick. They were

:24:00.:24:09.

playing with their heads up. Just be aware when you are getting up, the

:24:10.:24:15.

ruck might have formed. Edinburgh playing with their heads

:24:16.:24:21.

up. Not sure what Bundee Aki is talking about there. He has twice

:24:22.:24:25.

made a tackle and got back to his feet on Edinburgh's side of the

:24:26.:24:29.

ruck. He can do that if there isn't another Connacht defender.

:24:30.:24:38.

For the first time in the game, the Connacht players are heaving.

:24:39.:24:42.

Down to Andy Nichol. I have been impressed with Connacht all night

:24:43.:24:46.

but one aspect of the second half, when Edinburgh have upped their game

:24:47.:24:50.

is how they have reacted to the tries. Connacht have gone down and

:24:51.:24:57.

dominated and scored their try and here they are looking pretty strong

:24:58.:25:02.

as well. Edinburgh are nine points down and they need to try and get

:25:03.:25:05.

something from this but Connacht will be looking for a bonus point,

:25:06.:25:10.

well within their grasp. A better second half and Edinburgh have come

:25:11.:25:13.

to the party but can they get anything from the game?

:25:14.:25:18.

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

:25:19.:25:25.

played. A lot at stake for both teams. We know the other teams in

:25:26.:25:38.

the top four are also in it. Burley kicks it. Now there is a gap

:25:39.:25:43.

and a chase. The balance was favourable. It sat up nicely.

:25:44.:25:55.

Hidalgo-Clyne. He hasn't been under pressure for much of this evening,

:25:56.:25:59.

Kieran Marmion. Edinburgh have 3 million back, waiting for the kick.

:26:00.:26:09.

-- three men back. That has gone directly out from inside the 22.

:26:10.:26:16.

Early is taking a chance with this. The man with the gas. Bundee Aki

:26:17.:26:26.

gets it. They go left. They have stacks of men here. Up the middle.

:26:27.:26:31.

Anton Bresler takes a direct line. A chance for Edinburgh. Cornell Du

:26:32.:26:36.

Preez. He is stopped. They have another go. Three metres. Piling in.

:26:37.:26:47.

The short pass, forced out. I think the woody language suggests to me he

:26:48.:26:54.

was forced out. He has a grounding? -- the body language. He has a

:26:55.:26:59.

grounding and he is checking the touchline. Closer than I thought. I

:27:00.:27:06.

have a grounding. I would like to check the touchline for any reason I

:27:07.:27:12.

cannot award a try for is top -- award a try.

:27:13.:27:18.

Hidalgo-Clyne popped the ball out. Look at his feet. It is the elbow.

:27:19.:27:23.

It is whether he reached the line before the elbow hit the touchline.

:27:24.:27:32.

I think that is in touch, Chris. With his right side down before we

:27:33.:27:35.

left? His elbow.

:27:36.:27:41.

I think it is a try. I think the ball hits the try line first. They

:27:42.:27:56.

are not going to tell us anything. He popped the ball up. Looking at

:27:57.:28:03.

when the ball hit the ground, as opposed to Cornell Du Preez's left

:28:04.:28:11.

arm. The ball is down before. I believe a try has been scored. I am

:28:12.:28:17.

going to award the try. Here we come. Three, two, one...

:28:18.:28:26.

Almost! A try for Edinburgh. All of a sudden we have got a different

:28:27.:28:31.

game. Another good attack. It started from

:28:32.:28:35.

a dominant scrum from Connacht at the centre of the field. Edinburgh

:28:36.:28:41.

pounced. They managed to build the phases and put pressure on Connacht.

:28:42.:28:50.

Some really good attack. Foraging over. Damien Hoyland.

:28:51.:29:00.

It is a 4-point game on the one-hour mark. And if Hidalgo-Clyne could get

:29:01.:29:11.

this over... We are going to head for one cracking closing spell.

:29:12.:29:29.

It is the most difficult kick off Good evening. -- off Good evening.

:29:30.:29:39.

Someone needs to look at these posts. A great effort. Let us look

:29:40.:29:49.

at it again. It has stretched them down the right-hand side. Edinburgh

:29:50.:30:05.

keeping the ball alive. Clever play. To be barged over and scored the

:30:06.:30:12.

third try for Edinburgh. 17-21 for Connacht. Edinburgh are within range

:30:13.:30:22.

of pulling it off, what would be a huge victory. Connacht have made

:30:23.:30:25.

some changes and we will come back to that. The pressure is beginning

:30:26.:30:33.

to tell because that is so unlike the Connacht of the first half

:30:34.:30:37.

because every ball duck, every pass reached its man and now all of a

:30:38.:30:44.

sudden they do not look quite as good. How does it look from down

:30:45.:30:53.

there? All season I have been impressed with the character that

:30:54.:30:58.

Edinburgh have shortened. They have really done it and come into this

:30:59.:31:03.

game. You can see the body language on both sides has turned around.

:31:04.:31:07.

Connacht are looking at each other and are not as buoyant as they were

:31:08.:31:11.

and Edinburgh have a spring in their step as they can win this night and

:31:12.:31:16.

they could not see that happening at half time. This has been described

:31:17.:31:30.

as unaccustomed frailty. It is certainly frailty. It is certainly

:31:31.:31:49.

unaccustomed territory. Then Whitehouse. Then Whitehouse is doing

:31:50.:31:55.

his best to sort them out. He has been impressive as the match of the

:31:56.:32:05.

soul. It has been good management. You usually see a flat former

:32:06.:32:22.

defence. There is a massive shelf. Here is a chance for O'Halloran. It

:32:23.:32:35.

is Poolman here's gone to ground. The pressure is telling. Berkeley

:32:36.:32:49.

even is beginning to... You can see Tom Molden tried to calm them down

:32:50.:32:52.

in midfield, telling them to slow down. A bit of frustration creeping

:32:53.:33:02.

into the corner here. They will not be frustrated with their scrum, the

:33:03.:33:08.

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

:33:09.:33:09.

mistake. C how much grunt at they put into

:33:10.:33:26.

it. That will take them up into second

:33:27.:33:42.

place, joint second perhaps. If Edinburgh could get Highland on

:33:43.:33:59.

the ball just a little bit more often. -- Hoyland. That is a flat

:34:00.:34:09.

pass. There was interference with the past there. The referee says

:34:10.:34:17.

that it is a knock-on. It is similar to the first half. A consistent

:34:18.:34:27.

referee. It was an attempt at a tackle. We can have another look

:34:28.:34:34.

year. He puts the ball back and sides. That is a little the list.

:34:35.:34:44.

That has to be a knock-on. It is further away from the line. These

:34:45.:34:57.

are the pivotal moments in the game. 66 minutes in a 4-point game. This

:34:58.:35:10.

shows you how much Edinburgh have come back into this fixture. It was

:35:11.:35:25.

14-0 at half time. This time Edinburgh are rock solid. All of a

:35:26.:35:37.

sudden the frailty is there. Edinburgh are beginning to get the

:35:38.:35:43.

upper hand. It baffles you. In two previous scrums, Edinburgh dug in

:35:44.:35:51.

and won the penalty with the good execution. There will be a change in

:35:52.:36:05.

the front row for Connacht. That is a bit of a turn up. The number 19

:36:06.:36:13.

for Edinburgh has come on, Alex Toolis. Alex Toolis has come on for

:36:14.:36:29.

Bresler. I think Bresler has been impressive tonight and he has

:36:30.:36:37.

carried hard. He has put his team on the front foot. He is pointing to

:36:38.:36:41.

his wrist as he comes off. I hope that is not another injury to add to

:36:42.:36:49.

the extensive number of injured players Edinburgh has. They had nine

:36:50.:36:57.

at last count. Edinburgh have men here at full tilt. A chance on both

:36:58.:37:11.

sides. If anything that is so cold. -- of anything that is cynical. It

:37:12.:37:19.

was the captain who went in. AJ MacGinty not rolling away. Bell hits

:37:20.:37:29.

his ball hard. MacGinty will claim that he was on his feet but he was

:37:30.:37:33.

not supporting his own body weight and the referee told him to take his

:37:34.:37:45.

hands off twice and he did not. The way the scrum has gone, you can

:37:46.:37:54.

guarantee. For once the posts do not interfere. They have in at least

:37:55.:38:07.

five of the last televised games. Edinburgh 20- Connacht 21. Momentum

:38:08.:38:20.

is with Edinburgh. Connacht have scored seven points in the second

:38:21.:38:21.

half. Momentum with Edinburgh. The only corn has come on for

:38:22.:38:47.

Connacht. Can Edinburgh step it up? Candy stepped up another half notch

:38:48.:38:49.

or so? -- candidate step it up. Connacht are flying in. They need to

:38:50.:39:03.

get the rhythm and the pace we had in the first half if they are going

:39:04.:39:07.

to stretch away from Edinburgh, because at the moment it is just a

:39:08.:39:12.

single point, so any score for Edinburgh would put them in the

:39:13.:39:17.

lead. All Halloran is away. For example Halloran. Connacht are on a

:39:18.:39:29.

roll. They are running out of men. It Edinburgh can get their shape

:39:30.:39:35.

back. They are thin on the far side of Connacht move quickly. The

:39:36.:39:45.

gently, he is blocked there, surely. -- MacGinty. On the charge. There

:39:46.:39:59.

are about ten metres from the Edinburgh line, looking typically a

:40:00.:40:05.

water between them in Edinburgh in the closing stages. Edinburgh are

:40:06.:40:17.

defending for all they are worth. They go the other way. That will

:40:18.:40:22.

stretch Edinburgh. They might get it back. Have decided to keep going

:40:23.:40:29.

east. They are gathering in the middle. Here they come. Every tackle

:40:30.:40:40.

is now critical for Edinburgh. The gently breaks again, that is a great

:40:41.:40:48.

tackle. -- MacGinty. Now the big charge. They are very close. The

:40:49.:40:59.

referee says it is short. Edinburgh need to stay on the line. And the

:41:00.:41:08.

game. Going for the post. Short again. That is the verdict from the

:41:09.:41:13.

referee who gives the ball to Connacht. That was to reflect

:41:14.:41:22.

defence and attack. It was a break that set up the attack by Edinburgh

:41:23.:41:25.

did well to find their shape that defensively. I think John Muldoon

:41:26.:41:35.

was trying to get the ball against the post. That would have been a

:41:36.:41:44.

try. A good attack. Some fantastic defence by Edinburgh. They all need

:41:45.:41:51.

to take a breath and so do we. It has been pulsating stuff. They have

:41:52.:41:59.

got every trick in the book, they can run and move and do everything.

:42:00.:42:11.

An injury, Peter Robb, has come onto the field. Denis Buckley has spent

:42:12.:42:17.

most of the last few minutes stretching his car. -- his cat. They

:42:18.:42:26.

would be reluctant to change Buckley been outstanding. Goalkicker is now

:42:27.:42:38.

limping off the field. The referee has said that the player can only

:42:39.:42:46.

come on for a scrum replacement, not as a player. Slightly complicated.

:42:47.:42:58.

He has caught his ankle. That is not going to help with the kicking,

:42:59.:43:05.

obviously. AJ MacGinty is the kicker for the USA, he would step up.

:43:06.:43:12.

Edinburgh need to defend this desperately difficult position under

:43:13.:43:18.

the shadow of their own post. They have to go after this scrum and

:43:19.:43:22.

attack it. There will be two attackers on the right hand side of

:43:23.:43:27.

the under left. Edinburgh have four on the left against two. The need to

:43:28.:43:37.

defend the right hand side of the scrum. This is a huge scrum. They

:43:38.:43:48.

have got over according to the referee. Connacht have reached the

:43:49.:43:53.

line and it is one of the substitutes who has got through. You

:43:54.:44:01.

can see the gap just opening up for him to batter his way through and

:44:02.:44:06.

for all that there were two men hanging on to them it was not

:44:07.:44:12.

enough. That ball was held at the back for two or three seconds but as

:44:13.:44:16.

soon as it got to the back of the scrum he went. Edinburgh had four

:44:17.:44:20.

defenders on that side and they still sat on the heels when they

:44:21.:44:25.

should have come forward. The pre-works hard to get out. That is a

:44:26.:44:37.

bonus point and a fourth try. That is disappointing for Edinburgh at

:44:38.:44:42.

this point. The referee was in a great position there. The kick was

:44:43.:44:56.

taken and then an Irish player was brought down by some of the

:44:57.:45:01.

Edinburgh players charging. This is how they scored, it was quick.

:45:02.:45:06.

Edinburgh defenders have to stand on the goal-line, five metres back from

:45:07.:45:12.

the scrum. They will be disappointed to have conceded that try. Just over

:45:13.:45:21.

five minutes left. We have a 8-point game, 20-28 to Connacht. It is not

:45:22.:45:27.

over until it is over. Edinburgh have possession again. Then

:45:28.:45:38.

Whitehouse called them all quite early on there. If the ball does not

:45:39.:45:46.

come out on the Connacht it is a scrum to Edinburgh. Dave Heffernan

:45:47.:45:58.

has come on for Connacht. All of the dice are being rolled now. You

:45:59.:46:06.

conceded the Connacht defenders in a line and a fourth one is staggered.

:46:07.:46:16.

There is space on the outside edge. Hopefully Edinburgh can get some

:46:17.:46:29.

success. They have both gone down. Let us go down to Andy Nicol. In the

:46:30.:46:35.

second half Edinburgh have come into this. I thought Toolis has played

:46:36.:46:45.

well. Buckley was good and Bundee Aki has been very good, but at the

:46:46.:46:53.

start has been AJ MacGinty, he scored the try in the first half and

:46:54.:46:58.

he has that interplay and has been in control and defended well. He is

:46:59.:47:05.

my man of the match. Not a bad choice. A penalty for Edinburgh. A

:47:06.:47:22.

points down. If Edinburgh score a try they will get a bonus point for

:47:23.:47:30.

four tries and if they did not win the big get two points. They would

:47:31.:47:37.

get for being within seven and 1.434 tries. -- and one four the four

:47:38.:47:52.

tries. If they get a conversion they consult Chase it and they will get

:47:53.:47:57.

something out of it anyway. I think we know happen here. Down it comes.

:47:58.:48:10.

Watson has it. They shift left. They still have it. They have made

:48:11.:48:17.

ground. They are all at sea. There are still bodies being thrown around

:48:18.:48:24.

the place. It has gone to the ground and Edinburgh have it. The captain

:48:25.:48:32.

will take it on. Five metres, they are coming this side. They go left

:48:33.:48:45.

this time. Ben Toolis this time. Watson is on the rampage. He turns

:48:46.:48:53.

and twists. He lifted the ball which gave Connacht the opportunity to

:48:54.:48:58.

challenge. It will be interesting to see how they got that. I was not

:48:59.:49:06.

sure about that placement. Hamish Watson goes and then the tackle

:49:07.:49:16.

spins him. It is the captain. The referee ordered the penalty really

:49:17.:49:20.

quickly but I think it is fair. Unlucky for Hamish Watson. He is

:49:21.:49:25.

impressive every time. It was clever the way that they turned him so that

:49:26.:49:29.

when he came over on his back it presented Muldoon with that

:49:30.:49:38.

opportunity to get the ball. He has technical ability to hold his body

:49:39.:49:41.

weight. That was disappointing for Edinburgh. But Connacht have been

:49:42.:49:46.

impressive this evening and they look like a team that deserves to be

:49:47.:49:55.

at the top of the league. Edinburgh have been given the ball. They need

:49:56.:50:12.

and must have a good delivery. This is where Edinburgh have two chance

:50:13.:50:18.

their arm. You have two. In the last minute. I suppose you can go for the

:50:19.:50:25.

line but you need something special to score here and looks as if they

:50:26.:50:31.

are ready to attack. This is for a point in the league. 20 seconds to

:50:32.:50:45.

go. It could not be any clearer from the referee. This will be the last

:50:46.:50:51.

play, because Connacht get it they will just it. It has gone down. It

:50:52.:51:04.

is a big decision what to do next. Let us see what happens. He is the

:51:05.:51:14.

coolest man on the park, the referee. It has been a good game. Do

:51:15.:51:22.

not try anything silly. That is fair enough. A massive scrum. The last

:51:23.:51:33.

play because we are in the red zone and the clock has gone beyond 80

:51:34.:51:35.

minutes. Edinburgh with the next shelf, here

:51:36.:51:52.

it comes. They turn it inside. He is on his own here. Surrounded by white

:51:53.:52:05.

shirts. That was some clearance. Highland. A bit of reshuffle to take

:52:06.:52:16.

it in. Could not make much ground. Edinburgh are going right. Short in

:52:17.:52:22.

numbers. They need a good clearance and a quick ball. It is not the

:52:23.:52:32.

quickest. ITV to the left-hand side. Tom Brown on the attack. It goes to

:52:33.:52:37.

ground. There are quite shirts everywhere. Coming up the middle.

:52:38.:52:48.

Penalty coming. Advantage to Edinburgh. The game will continue.

:52:49.:52:56.

Up to the 22. Hamish Watson breaches the line. Still advantage. The

:52:57.:53:10.

captain takes it. The captain rules. The ball is presented. The advantage

:53:11.:53:18.

is still being played. We are still playing at two and a half minutes

:53:19.:53:24.

into overtime. The penalty is in the middle of the field so that changes

:53:25.:53:31.

it. He has taken the steps forward to be in the right place. That would

:53:32.:53:41.

take them, they are going to go for one point. If they get within seven

:53:42.:53:49.

points in total they will get that. I think that is sensible. It is the

:53:50.:53:57.

percentage decision. No cake is easy but the way that Connacht defended I

:53:58.:54:00.

think it is probably the right decision. There is so much to talk

:54:01.:54:09.

about which we will share with our colleagues on the touchline. The

:54:10.:54:15.

second half has been absolutely fascinating in all sorts of ways.

:54:16.:54:22.

Hidalgo-Clyne has the chance to secure a losing bonus for Edinburgh.

:54:23.:54:30.

Almost directly in front of the posts. The final kick of the game.

:54:31.:54:53.

He gave it a good thump. He got the two flags. That is as much as he

:54:54.:55:00.

could have expected and hoped for because it has got Edinburgh

:55:01.:55:04.

something out of this game. They have a lot to talk about and a lot

:55:05.:55:09.

to be pleased with in the second half when they fought back from what

:55:10.:55:14.

seemed like an impossible task. It has been a fantastic match batting

:55:15.:55:20.

we have seen by Connacht are at the top of the league. They know how to

:55:21.:55:26.

close the game and to get in front and to deal with it when they do get

:55:27.:55:32.

in front. They give it everything. They are a complete side. Edinburgh

:55:33.:55:42.

has shown considerable improvement. In the second half especially

:55:43.:55:48.

popular, dangerous side. Connacht at the top of the league. They were so

:55:49.:56:00.

well organised, so well led by John Muldoon, they deserved their victory

:56:01.:56:06.

but also their 5-point victory and that stretches their lead at the top

:56:07.:56:11.

of the Guinness Pro12. The other teams watching this will take some

:56:12.:56:15.

heart from the way that Edinburgh managed to put Connacht under

:56:16.:56:20.

pressure because when they are under pressure there are some groans that

:56:21.:56:27.

could be exploited. At the end of the day it was still a

:56:28.:56:31.

disappointment for Edinburgh. They do get a losing bonus point because

:56:32.:56:38.

the final score is Edinburgh, 23 - Connacht, 28. An unbelievable second

:56:39.:56:48.

half year at Murrayfield. Connacht were too strong. It was a good

:56:49.:56:55.

second half. Edinburgh dug really deep because they were blown away in

:56:56.:56:59.

the first half, so to get the bonus point in the end I did not see any

:57:00.:57:04.

of that happening at half time. They played better in the second half and

:57:05.:57:08.

came away with the bonus point. At the end of the season it will be

:57:09.:57:12.

tight for a player positions and European Champions Cup positions.

:57:13.:57:16.

That point may be important in the end. What about decision-making at

:57:17.:57:23.

the end of the match? There were potential opportunities for

:57:24.:57:25.

penalties but they pushed for scrums. When you are a points down

:57:26.:57:32.

and you've only got two minutes left you need to scorers so get yourself

:57:33.:57:36.

into bonus point territory and NCT Getty chance to get a match-winning

:57:37.:57:43.

score. They got there in the end. They got the point that they needed

:57:44.:57:47.

and the point that the second half performance deserved because it was

:57:48.:57:53.

very good. Connacht are better than anyone be seen so this season. They

:57:54.:58:00.

were given a chance by Edinburgh in the second half but every ten

:58:01.:58:02.

Edinburgh scored Connacht came back into control. Edinburgh got close

:58:03.:58:07.

but I always felt Connacht had enough to step away from them. That

:58:08.:58:14.

was impressive. It was a 5-point victory with the bonus point. You

:58:15.:58:21.

can get reports and match analysis on BBC Scotland right now. Next week

:58:22.:58:30.

we will be here doing a live rugby show on the BBC, the Scotland Six

:58:31.:58:33.

Nations against France, that will be on BBC Radio Scotland and we will be

:58:34.:58:40.

back for the game in Glasgow on Sunday against Cardiff and that

:58:41.:58:46.

should be a cracker. Join us for that if you can. At Murrayfield

:58:47.:58:52.

Edinburgh putting a massive second half performance but it was not

:58:53.:58:58.

enough. Connacht are supreme and are the champions so far. Goodbye for

:58:59.:58:59.

now.

:59:00.:59:05.

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