He was also quick to note the shifting conditions in the second half, while not blaming them entirely for his team’s execution:

“Obviously, the rain came down and the wind picked up, so that wasn’t in our favour. At the end of the day, we have to be adaptable. We knew they would kick a lot, and at times we probably ran the wrong ones back. We made individual errors in the second half that gave them opportunities. I do think we defended well and managed to keep them out with all the possession and territory they had, but unfortunately, it wasn’t good enough.”

Edinburgh got off to a fantastic start courtesy of a Wes Goosen gathering a kick just inside the Cardiff half before breaking two tackles as he surged into the 22, to start a move which saw Cammy Scott spot space out wide to release Lewis Wells superbly with a cross-kick which sent the winger over untouched.

As if that wasn’t a poor enough start for the home side, they also lost Taulupe Faletau to injury before the restart. Just four minutes on the clock – a try down and 115 international caps for Wales and the British & Irish Lions leaving the field.

Cardiff didn’t take long to respond, though. It came through odd circumstances but was finished courtesy of poor defence as well as slick attack. Josh Adams initially fumbled Shiel’s clearing kick but it went backwards, allowing Taine Basham to gather and break through a disjointed Edinburgh kick chase with frustrating ease. He then fed Johan Mulder, with the elusive South African scrum-half showing good footwork, albeit aided by some uncharacteristically poor defence from Edinburgh skipper Magnus Bradbury, to score a try that the visitors really should have prevented.

The frenetic start didn’t slow down. An illegal clear-out by Cardiff straight from the kick-off gave Edinburgh prime attacking ball with a five-metre line-out. Following a series of strong carries, a huge gap opened up in Cardiff’s fringe defence, and Shiel sniped through to score Edinburgh’s second try. Scott added the game’s first conversion.

Cardiff’s response was an absolute beauty. Frustratingly, it began with Edinburgh in a strong attacking position after Cardiff’s Javan Sebastian was penalised at the scrum under heavy pressure from Pierre Schoeman. Edinburgh kicked deep into Cardiff’s half but fumbled from their strong platform. Instead of clearing, Cardiff countered from their own 22, with Wales wing Josh Adams breaking up the right touchline before feeding Mulder, who returned the ball for Adams to finish under the posts – a stunning score started from near their own try line.

From their next visit into Cardiff’s half, Edinburgh showed far more composure. Another penalty kicked up to the 22 provided an attacking line-out. Slick handling and strong carries – not least from skipper Bradbury – drove them to within metres of the line. From there, a smart and powerful run from Ashman saw the Scotland hooker crash over from short range.

After a yo-yo opening with five tries in the first 20 minutes, the match then settled into a long spell where Edinburgh dominated territory but couldn’t convert pressure into points. Opportunities came – an excellent high-ball take from the impressive Wells in Cardiff’s 22, another strong run and offload from Wells, and a break from Ashman after a scrappy lineout – but the mistakes arrived as frequently as the chances. Cardiff’s aggressive line speed continually disrupted Edinburgh’s handling and ruck work to deny them further reward for prolonged field position.

After spending nearly 15 minutes pinned in their own half, Cardiff ended the period with the final chance of the half’s sixth try. Basham made a powerful break into Edinburgh territory after collecting a loose ball from a contested high kick. For a moment, Edinburgh’s defence looked in trouble as it scrambled to reorganise, but Cardiff fumbled the offload and the opportunity was lost.

Half-time: Cardiff 12 – Edinburgh 19. An odd first half that swung from frantic, high-scoring action in the opening quarter to a fractured, scoreless stalemate in the second.

Cardiff started the second half strongly, immediately putting Edinburgh under pressure. An old-fashioned – and, to be honest, aggravatingly likeable – peel move at the front of a lineout allowed skipper Liam Belcher to surge down the right touchline into the visitors’ 22. From there, slick hands and powerful carries moved the ball across the field, where Scotland tight-head Sebastian crashed over for Cardiff.

Shiel tried to maintain Edinburgh’s habit of hitting back quickly, taking a sharp tap penalty on halfway and breaking into Cardiff’s 22. However, with little support, he was isolated, allowing his opposite number Mulder to win a crucial jackal penalty and relieve the pressure.

Cardiff’s next opportunity came after Ross McCann misfielded a kick in his own 22, gifting the home side territory to launch another extended attack. They hammered away at Edinburgh’s line, but the visitors’ defence stood firm, refusing to concede penalties despite heavy pressure. Eventually, Schoeman secured a vital ruck turnover to clear the danger.

Seeking renewed control, coach Everitt turned to his bench. Boan Venter and Paul Hill replaced the starting props, while Conor McAlpine – a late stand-in for Ben Vellacott – and Ross Thompson came on for the half-back pairing of Shiel and Scott, who had managed the game well.

The impact was not what Edinburgh hoped for. At the next scrum, Venter and Hill were overpowered by Cardiff’s replacements Keiron Assiratti and Corey Domachowski, conceding a penalty that the hosts kicked deep into Edinburgh territory. Cardiff looked certain to score after strong carries and a slick offload from Ben Thomas, but Josh Adams spilled the ball over the line from a position he’d finish nine times out of ten. Edinburgh clung on, twenty minutes into a half where they had yet to fire a shot.

With seven minutes remaining, Cardiff finally broke the deadlock. A deep kick forced Thompson to backtrack under pressure from Thomas, whose dominant tackle drove him further backwards. When Edinburgh failed to secure the ruck, Cardiff earned a penalty near halfway. Lloyd stepped up and hammered it over from 50 metres, aided by the wind, to put his side one point ahead.

As the wind and rain worsened, fatigue began to show. Goosen fumbled a kick into touch after the restart, leaving Edinburgh pinned deep. Moments later, though, he redeemed himself with a sharp burst to halfway, setting up one final chance when Aled Davies was penalised for not rolling away. Edinburgh turned down a long-range shot into the wind, opting instead to kick for touch. A lineout near Cardiff’s 22m line with minutes left.

Patrick Harrison’s throw sailed over his jumper though, allowing Cardiff to clear. Goosen then spilled that kick downfield to give the hosts a scrum in Edinburgh’s half with seconds remaining. From there, Cardiff earned a free kick, which Calum Sheedy booted into the stands – much to the delight of the Arms Park faithful who had withstood the weather.

It marks a third tight loss in three away games for Edinburgh so far this season after similarly tough results on visits to Munster (20-19) and Zebre (31-28). One win in four games perhaps doesn’t tell the full story for Edinburgh when you factor in a cancelled home game against Ulster due to Storm Amy and those tight away losses. It’s unavoidably another frustrating loss from a winnable position though for Everitt’s team. An all too familiar habit that they will be desperate to break.

 

Teams –

Cardiff: J Beetham; J Adams, H Millard, B Thomas, T Bowen; I Lloyd, J Mulder; D Southworth, L Belcher©, J Sebastian, J McNally, G Nott, A Mann, T Basham, T Faletau. Subs used: C Sheedy, A Davies, C Domachowski, D Hughes, K Assiratti, D Thomas, B Donnell, A Lawrence.

Edinburgh: W Goosen; R McCann, P O’Conor, J Lang, L Wells; C Scott, C Shiel; P Schoeman, E Ashman, D Rae, M Sykes, G Gilchrist, L McConnell, D Richardson, M Bradbury©. Subs used: M Davidson, R Thompson, C McAlpine, P Harrison, B Venter, P Hill, C Hunter-Hill, L Crosbie.

Referee: Andrew Brace

 

Scorers –

Cardiff: Tries: Mulder, Adams, Sebastian; Cons: Lloyd; Pens: Lloyd.

Edinburgh: Tries: Wells, Shiel, Ashman; Cons: Scott, Lang.

Scoring sequence (Edinburgh first): 0-5; 5-5; 5-10; 5-12; 10-12; 12-12; 12-17; 12-19; (h-t) 17-19; 20-19.