Bonus for Edinburgh

Paterson: bonus-point try for Edinburgh

Edinburgh claimed a bonus point with a low-key 32-15 victory over Magners League basement boys Aironi.

The Italian side have not managed to win away in their debut season and never looked like ending that run in Scotland.

An early Fraser McKenzie try followed by two more from Mike Blair and Tim Visser saw the hosts take a 24-8 lead, with Danwel Demas touching down for the visitors.

The second-half brought a second try for Aironi, through Nick Williams, but by then veteran Chris Paterson had already added a fourth for Edinburgh to make sure of the bonus point.

Edinburgh made the best possible start with seven points on the board inside four minutes, as McKenzie finished off a move that had swept across the field and back again after a precise lineout feed by Scott MacLeod.

Greig Laidlaw converted and put his side 10-0 ahead with a long penalty in 13 minutes after he had been blocked following his own chip ahead.

However Laidlaw deliberately knocked forward a pass from Matteo Pratichetti that threatened to put Williams over and James Marshall kicked the Aironi penalty.

Referee John Lacey sent Laidlaw to the sin bin, so when a penalty came Edinburgh's way three minutes later full-back James Thompson was called upon but failed.

Fighting

Lacey had his yellow card out again in the 28th minute, sending both Edinburgh's Esteban Lozada and Aironi's Marco Bortolami to the sin bin for fighting.

Edinburgh moved clear with tries after 31 and 36 minutes as first Blair, who broke clear from a post-lineout ruck, and then Visser, who raced past two challengers, scored. Laidlaw converted both.

However right on half-time Aironi scored a try through Demas, who was sent in from a slick pass by Gareth Krause. Marshall missed the conversion leaving the half-time deficit at 16 points.

Aironi dominated the third quarter but on the hour an interception try gifted Edinburgh the bonus-point, as Nick de Luca ran half the length of the park before putting in fellow replacement Chris Paterson.

The Italians scored a second try, number eight Williams powering over with Marshall converting, but Laidlaw knocked over a penalty to confirm the win that takes Edinburgh up one place to eighth.