Frustration and anger inside Edinburgh Rugby changing room as error-strewn performance ends their season

Edinburgh’s season was ended prematurely as an error-strewn performance in Italy was ruthlessly punished by Benetton, who moved into the United Rugby Championship play-offs at the expense of their visitors.

It is the second year in a row that Edinburgh have failed to progress to the knockout phase and they become the first team in the URC’s short history to miss out on the play-offs while winning 11 matches. Ultimately, they were undone by their failure to accumulate enough bonus points. They picked up just five all season and only the Dragons won fewer and they finished second bottom.

The match in Treviso was billed as a cup final and it was Benetton who rose to the occasion, scoring five tries in the 31-6 victory as Edinburgh were found wanting when it mattered most. Despite fielding an all-international pack they couldn’t exert control over the game and a number of mistakes by Edinburgh’s backline cost the visitors dear as they buckled under pressure.

Sean Everitt arrived at the club last summer with the twin aims of finishing in the top eight and qualifying for the Champions Cup but Edinburgh have fallen short on both counts. They will play in the second-tier Challenge Cup cup next season. Everitt, who signed a two-year contract extension in January, said some soul searching went on in the away dressing room after the match.

“There is frustration and anger,” said the coach. “This is a good test of how close our group is. We’re going to go through some adversity now, we’re going to have to pick ourselves up and come back next season to go again. We did well enough to put ourselves in this position, but this game sums up our performances: when we get opportunities, we don’t finish them.”

The defeat also marked the end at Edinburgh for two club greats. WP Nel, an outstanding prop for club and country, will now retire while Bill Mata is leaving to join Bristol Bears after eight seasons in the capital. It was a disappointing way for them to bow out.

“It wasn’t a good performance by us at all,” admitted Everitt, who took over from Mike Blair last July. “We made a lot of errors under pressure which ultimately cost us the ball. The unfortunate thing is that when we did have opportunities in the outside channels, we spilled the ball and they managed to score. Benetton put us under pressure and we didn’t handle that pressure well.”

Benetton's Onisi Ratave leaves Ben Healy in his wake as he runs in a second-half try in the BKT United Rugby Championship match at Stadio Monigo in Treviso, Italy. (Photo by Alfo Guarise/INPHO/Shutterstock)

The Italians outfought and out thought the visitors who offered very little in an attacking sense. Ben Healy failed to fire at stand-off and there was little threat from Duhan van der Merwe. James Lang filled in at full-back in the absence of the injured Wes Goosen, Emiliano Boffelli and Harry Paterson and did his best but it was always going to be a tough ask for the centre.

“It has been a challenge, we’ve got to admit that,” added Everitt. “We’ve had centres playing on the wing and against Benetton we had a centre playing at full back. But those are the challenges you’ve got to face and learn from. The game has many variables and you can’t control injury. Obviously it would be nice to have Darcy Graham, Emiliano Boffelli, Blair Kinghorn, Duhan van der Merwe and Blair Kinghorn competing for the back-three, but that’s not what it is.”

Edinburgh looked sharp enough from kick-off and a quick tap penalty from Ali Price took them up to the Benetton line and their cause was further boosted by a first-minute yellow card for Alessandro Izekor, the home side’s flanker, who failed to retreat 10 metres at the penalty. He would have a big role to play later in the game.

Edinburgh couldn’t capitalise and the momentum shifted away from the visitors. Instead it was the 14 men of Treviso who took the lead. Lang couldn’t deal with a high ball and Benetton made him pay. Ignacio Mendy scored the try but it was made by Ignacio Brex who drew in the Edinburgh defenders before offloading to the Argentine winger.

Viliame Mata, in his last appearance for Edinburgh before joining Bristol, is tackled by Michele Lamaro of Benetton. (Photo by Alfo Guarise/INPHO/Shutterstock)

It could have been worse for Everitt’s team but Jake Henry made a try-saving tackle on Tommaso Menoncello to prevent Benetton extending their lead.

Lang atoned for his earlier error with a dangerous break from deep in his own half but Edinburgh were driven back. They came again, and a run by van der Merwe after they had stolen a home lineout drew a penalty which Healy slotted over. The stand-off landed another a couple of minutes later after Niccolò Cannone had strayed offside but Edinburgh’s 6-5 lead didn’t last long as Benetton plundered a second try.

It was a great piece of opportunism from the excellent Onisi Ratave but a personal nightmare for Matt Currie. The centre has been excellent for Edinburgh this season but he lost possession as the visitors tried to move the ball out the line. Ratave said thank you very much and ran in the score from his own half. Rhyno Smith’s conversion made it 12-6 to the home side at the interval.

Things went from bad to worse for Edinburgh in the second half. Thomas Gallo thought he had scored Benetton’s third try only to see it disallowed for a double movement but the Italians didn’t have to wait long. Menoncello, outstanding throughout, broke free and was able to offload off the deck to Tomas Albornoz. It all opened up for the stand-off who brushed aside Healy to score. Smith’s conversion made it 19-6 to Benetton with 20 minutes remaining and it was now leaking bleak for Edinburgh.

Two tries in the final quarter from Izekor finished them off. The first came after the Scots took a quick throw and a slack pass from Healy was hacked on by Menoncello. With Edinburgh scrambling back, Izekor got in there first for the bonus-point score. The athletic back-rower did it again four minutes later after Lang lost a contestable kick and Izekor grabbed it and ran in from the 22. Smith converted both.

Scorers: Benetton: Tries: Mendy, Ratave, Albornoz, Izekor 2. Cons: Smith 3. Edinburgh: Pens: Healy 2. Yellow card: Izekor (Benetton 1min)

Benetton: R Smith; I Mendy, T Menoncello, I Brex (M Zanon 70), O Ratave (J Umaga 74); T Albornoz, A Uren; T Gallo (M Spagnolo 55), G Nicotera (G Lucchesi 36), S Ferrari (G Zilocchi 55), N Cannone (E Iachizzi 54), E Snyman, A Izekor, M Lamaro, T Halafihi (L Cannone 52).

Edinburgh: J Lang; J Henry, M Currie, C Dean (M Bennett 63), D van der Merwe; B Healy (C Scott 63), A Price (B Vellacott 62); P Schoeman (B Venter 58), E Ashman (D Cherry 58), WP Nel (J Sebastian 58), S Skinner (M Sykes 58), G Gilchrist, J Ritchie (L Crosbie 72), L Crosbie (H Watson 62), V Mata.

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU, 100th league game).