LA BELLA FIGURA
Edinburgh: 24 (10) Benetton: 10 (3)
Ciao bello/bella! After a late pre-season as a result of watching the Lions tour, a catastrophic IT failure and finally succumbing to Delta, I'm back (baby)! But, on a brighter note, while the Embra tifosi must now endure my regular scribblings, positive things seem to be happening on the artificial turf in the Roseburn area.
The Embramen have been cutting a pretty jaunty look in the early weeks of this new URC season. Whether it is the burnt orange change kit that reminds one of the legendarily chic Scotland change kit of the 1999 Rugby World Cup, the bearpit that the recently hanseled DAM Health Stadium has quickly become, or the very much more than respectable second place they now sit after this evening's bonus point victory over a combative Benetton outfit, life looks pretty rosy.
Naturally, they are a work in progress as Head Coach Mike 'Blade' Blair steers a revamp in thair attacking philosophy. But, so far, they seem to have retained the ability to match and beat others in their physicality, while layering on top of that a wider attacking game that is more in line with The Scottish Way and, thererefore, a better fit with the national team's style. The pre-match image that sticks with me is of the players doing drills catching tennis balls fired at them to imporeve their handling. I don't recall seeing that sort of thing under the old regime. It seems to be working.
Already, once sees the benefits of playing the top South African provinces, when public health restrictions allow. These are massive men, dominant in set piece and with suffocating defences that simply do not miss tackles. The more both Scottish clubs play them, the better they will become.
This season's new signings have impressed. I was naturally disappointed that the Edinburgh Rugby media machine beat me to the only credible nickname for Emilio Boffelli, namely 'The Boff'. But he has certainly looked great since joining the club after the Autumn internationals, scoring another fine try this evening. His compatriot Ramiro Moyano brings serious pace to the wing; another nippy signing, Ben Vellacott has hit the ground running and, in some ways, personifies the quickfire running game that the Gunners are now trying to play.
Many of the old timers are in good form too. One highlight of this evening's performance came from Henry Pyrgos, whose cute break from his 22 and smart kick ahead did so much to set up Edinburgh's final try. Damien 'Damo' Hoyland, player of the match last week in Newport, has also shone.
Up front. it's been a joy to see Jamie Hodgson and 'Eric' Sykes make their debuts for the naitonal team. Both of them are, as the late Norman Mair might have said, no nonsense hombres. This has stood them in good stead in a position which was looking to be on the thin side with injuries to others and the departures of Fraser 'Big Fraz' McKenzie and Andrew Davidson, currently in great form at Gloucester. In recent weeks, tonight's player of the match, Magnus Bradbury, has looked like the dominant ball carrying No8 that Scotland has been crying out for for some years. If - and it is a big if - he can perform consistenly at the level he was at this evening, there is no doubt that the Scotland shirt is his. I think that this is in his control and will be interested to see how he responds.
Gone are the days when Benetton could be dismissed as a fiesty but ultimately limited opponent. Not least as they edged the Embramen in Italy in round two this season. So to put them away with something to spare tonight, scoring four tries to one while managing a mini fightback in the second half pretty comfortably, represents a very good night's work. In truth, as soon as the Gunners went ahead following Marin's opening penalty, with a fine touchdown from Mr Darcy during an early power play, it felt like they were in control. While Blairhorn seemed to have left his kicking trousers at home in the first period, The King put in a regal performance that makes one think that maybe, just maybe, Blair and Townsend are on to something when they think he could develop as a first five-eighth with enough game time.
The Boff was next to cross after an adventurous move sparked by The King and Mr Darcy, his unconverted try stretching the lead to 10-3 at the break. And The King scored an opportunistic try shortly after the restart, adding the extras to put daylight between the hosts and the Italian visitors at 17-3.
Benetton did manage to narrow the gap with a try by the impressive Zuliani, following a rare period of concerted pressure and fierld position. But Stuart 'Rambo' McInally killed the game with the bonus point try, leaving the final score 24-10 Embra.
Next weekend's first European outing, away to Saracens, will be a big step up and it'll be interesting to see whether the positive vibes surrounding the Gunners' season so far continue after that.