Season 2021-2022 has ended. What kind of season was it for Edinburgh?
Before the URC started, we played 2 friendly matches about what was then. IIt was only when I looked back, I remembered that our very first game in our new stadium ended in a 10-26 reversal to Newcastle Falcons. That loss was almost wiped out of everyone’s memories when we spent an undefeated record in what became Damzondheid. Of course we could claim that it was a League/Challenge Cup record, but I really can’t remember that the warning was applied at any time it was called and I take myself there.
We followed that with a stunning victory of half a century against Benetton that gave us a nice vague feeling for the competition campaign that was about to start.
A victory against Scarlets, a ridiculous loss for Benetton in Italy and a draw against final finalists at Dam Square kicked us off and then we followed that with a victory against the other final URC finalists Bulls. A mixed start, but when the calendar year in 2022 Edinburgh slipped, Edinburgh was at the top of the URC.
Of course our opponents are banging “You haven’t played big teams yet” and my twitter feed was full of tweets like this –
And when January 2022 ended, we wanted to lose from Ospreys and proven them right away. Then we quickly followed that loss with our 2 biggest defeats of the season to Leinster and Munster. In our defense, however, it should be noted that these games were mid -6 nations with all the disruption that entails.
A big victory against Connacht and a hard fighting victory in South Africa against the sharks came on either side of a loss for old Rivals Glasgow in Scotstoun. This game was almost decided by two errors in Edinburgh that Glasgow 2 delivered out of nowhere. Yes, they did well to make the opportunities, but no matter how you look at it, they were gifts.
Edinburgh came away from their second game in South Africa with a losing bonus point to make our first visit to that country of the season a reasonably successful and we followed that at home against the bottom. 29-26 in favor of Edinburgh and the knives came out again, but despite a yellow and a red card on the night we got away with the 5 points and we learned something about ourselves and our determination.
A second (third ???) defeat at Dam Square was the next when we fell for Ulster 10-16 in a match that could have really go in all directions, especially since Edinburgh finished the match on the Ulster line.
The regular season ended with a victory against Glasgow, which in itself was routine and fairly simple, but the implications and results were enormous because it yielded us a playground against Stormers in the fourth quarter final.
Stormers, on the back of an unbeaten home record of 12 games, were unfortunately too strong on the day, but nobody can accuse the team of not popping up and during the break we were immediately in it. At the end, however, we were not clinical enough to overcome the South African side on this occasion.
Pronunciation. The first year with a new coach and more importantly playing a style that was at least on the back of the previous 3 years the majority of the team, so to reach the play of the stage and get so close that we have to be happy. There were a few disappointments along the way, such as those defeats for Benetton and Glasgow that if we were right, we might have earned a home play with the benefit that possible. In general, however, I am happy with the progress we have made and I am proud of the efforts that the players have put throughout the season.
Some statistics of the season in the URC (from the quarter phase)
General 4th for attack only 13th for defense
1st for held stairs
Defeat most defenders
Best Line -Out, 3rd Best Scrum
Henry Immelman and Darcy Graham Joint 3rd for defenders
Immelman 1 of just 5 to score a drop of goal
Most of the turnover
Boffelli – Our Toppunt Scorer – 10th General
In the Challenge Cup Our players did this –
Emiliano Boffelli – 3rd highest points scorer. Most conversions
Ramiro Moyano – Top Try Scorer
Top 3 Tackklers – Grant Gilchrist, Magnus Bradbury, Pierre Schoeman
Magnus Bradbury – 3rd highest for wearing.
While a club Edinburgh scored more attempts (31), he scored more points (232) and made more tackles (787) than any other team in the competition.
We have admitted 65 penalties in our 6 games. Only Lyon and Toulon who played 2 more games and Benetton admitted more.
Pronunciation – We have awarded our group with a good victory over Saracens in London and only a very narrow defeat of 1 point margin against London Irish has shot our copybook in the group phase. The Irish was second in the group and even if they had won their canceled match against Brive Edinburgh, it would probably still be at least on the points/attempts scored.
We removed the bath in the round of 16. The Premiership thrusters were actually at the forefront of HT, but in the second 40 minutes we were not a pinch of our line and scored 4 attempts and achieved a healthy victory and passage to the quarter phase.
The quarterfinals against wasps was frustrating. Early chances that may have given us a healthy lead were rejected, the referee was, to be polite, to be somewhat inconsistent and despite the fact that she had a 10 -point lead during the rest of Jimmy Gopperth in the game and ran in the last quarter of the winnings (and the semi. And the Semi.
Eventually I feel that Lyon’s name was on this trophy fairly early and the semi might have been our limit, even when we had passed by wasps.
Season in general. On the one hand you could say that for all positivity about the team under MB in our new stadium, that we have again fallen with the last few known obstacles. No matter how true, however, it is difficult and perhaps even impossible to be negative about the season as a whole.
We play a much nicer brand of rugby and can you really claim that you are disappointed to reach the knockout phase of all tournaments in which the team participates when our trophy cabinet is as empty as a heart of Tories?
Our achievements this season include –
Quarterfinals in the URC
Quarter Finals or Challenge Cup
Winner of the Cup 1872
Winner of the Scots/Italian shield
Qualified for Champions Cup in season 2022 – 2023
So there is much more to be positive about than to moan about and the employees (as you will see by the general attack and defense statistics) are fairly clear. However, we have to support these positives in season 2022-2023 and as a benchmark (make of mine) that will only do a URC Semi Final and a Home Champions Cup Quarter final.
Ideally, we could win one of these and that would always be the goal, but I think that even the most blanked Embra fan should admit that the next step is probably the most difficult.
As I write, the title is still for grasping, but whoever takes the trophy (that thing that looks like a bullet vibrator), it will be a new winner. Some reason not to dream, can we replicate that in the coming years?
I can’t wait for the new season. Is it already September?
#Seasonal #review