Cardiff Blues were in generous mode after gifting Edinburgh their first win of the season with a calamitous second-half display at Murrayfield. Derrick Lee and Michael Pyke both profited from two blunders during a crucial ten-minute spell in the second half to punish a Cardiff side badly out of sorts in Scotland.
Chris Paterson put the boot in with a 25-point haul – including seven penalties – leaving Cardiff searching for inspiration of their own. The Blues had made several changes to the team that beat Connacht last week amid further injuries that had already denied them the Robinson brothers – Nick and Jamie.And they could have done with their game-breaking abilities during a dour game that rarely triggered much enthusiasm inside an virtually empty Murrayfield.
Barely 2,000 had come through the gates of the national stadium that echoed to the sounds of the players and coaches during a dour first half. Cardiff looked the more likely to score a try, Tom Shanklin and Craig Morgan both denied by goal-line tackles, and just about deserved their half-time advantage.
Fittingly it took a penalty try following an horrendous blunder to raise the game from the banal. In his first game since arriving from Leicester in the summer, Freddie Tuilagi made his physical presence felt with a tackle that caused Marcus Di Rollo to spill possession. Dean Dewdney hacked forward and it was all full-back Derrick Lee could do to nudge the Cardiff scrum-half on his way past to prevent losing the foot race. Irish official Simon McDowell had no hesitation in awarding the penalty try.
So the game lumbered on until Edinburgh capitalised on Cardiff returned the favour with generosity that will have had Young pulling out his hair. Craig Quinnell dropped a simple lineout, Edinburgh spun the ball wide at pace before Allister Hogg passed inside for Lee to scurry over in the corner. Just ten minutes later and Cardiff not just opened the door, but ushered Edinburgh through.
Outside-half Nick Macleod threw a wild pass that only ever looked destined for the grateful hands of Edinburgh replacement Pyke who galloped over from half-way.
Edinburgh: Tries – D Lee, M Pike. Cons – C Paterson (2). Pens – C Patterson (7)
Blues: Try – Penalty. Con – N Macleod. Pens – N Macleod (3)
Referee: S McDowell (Ireland)
Attendance: 2,055