A carnivorous plant was discovered a few years ago. In 1872 I think it was. It attracts insects using its blue and burnt orange fauna and when they land it devours them mercilessly.
The attraction bit was Edinburgh in the first half against Ulster. The devouring, well, that was what happened to the good feeling every supporter in a frosty Hive had as the second half unravelled.
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Three tries in that first half, all from backs, all worthy of acclaim and that all hinted at a much greater cohesion in that backline that hasn’t always been evident.
The half-time whistle not only ended the first 40 minutes, it also ended any attack threat Edinburgh had previously displayed.
For the fourth time this season we lost a game by failing to score a single point in the second half. A stat reinforced by the fact that across the season Edinburgh have scored 20 tries in the second half whereas the opposition have scored 39.
The moment that turned the match was the box kick from Ben Vellacott on 49 minutes that was gathered by Werner Kok. Ulster went almost the length of the pitch to score and draw level. It felt like it sucked any resistance out of Edinburgh and thereafter all the momentum was with Ulster.
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Our box kicking was poor throughout. Nine were kicked and only one was reclaimed. Our lineout wasn’t much better.
After that 49th-minute try it was all defence from Edinburgh. It was, despite Ulster’s scores, a decent defence but when your territory and possession are in the 30% range in that second half and you have to make almost twice as many tackles as your opposition then it becomes almost a fait accompli that gaps will appear.
There were strong displays from the likes of Connor Boyle and Harry Paterson, and lineout woes aside Dylan Richardson was also strong on both sides of the ball, but overall it felt a little rudderless.
The ball is all but burst for this season and it feels like we would be better to just concede these next two fixtures and use the money for the trip to South Africa to pay off Sean Everitt and bring in someone who can at least give an inspiring half-time team talk.
Sandy Smith can be found at the Burgh Watch
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