Coming just a week after Edinburgh’s stirring 33-20 victory over Toulouse at Hive Stadium, the defeat marked a swift reality check. With Scotland internationals Pierre Schoeman, Duhan van der Merwe, Darcy Graham, Magnus Bradbury and Grant Gilchrist all unavailable due to rest protocols, and a further 13 players sidelined through injury, head coach Sean Everitt named a much-changed side for the trip to Stade Pierre-Fabre. Only four players remained from the starting XV that defeated Toulon: half-backs Ben Vellacott and Cammy Scott, along with forwards Ollie Blyth-Lafferty and Liam McConnell.

After the game Everitt defended his selection and the inexperienced side’s performance, saying: “I thought we did well in the first 20 minutes. We had four entries into the 22 and with a bit more accuracy we could have been 21-5 up at halftime, but we weren’t. At 5-0 down at half-time, the chat in the changing room was really positive.”

Reflecting on the second half, he continued: “Unfortunately we had disruptions amongst the backs in the second half. We fell apart a bit with unforced handling errors from there, which is unusual for us. Is that really a lack of experience in the side? I wouldn’t say that. We had experienced players in that 23. In the second half, we just gave them too much. They struck well with the outside backs from scrums and we gave them far too many opportunities to do that.”

Edinburgh began the match in positive fashion, controlling field position through smart kicking and well-contested high balls. That early dominance almost brought reward after seven minutes when a strong scrum five metres from the Castres line allowed Ben Vellacott to release O’Conor on a hard line. The Edinburgh centre powered over the try line with relative ease but was frustratingly held up with similar ease to allow Castres to clear.

Whilst it was encouraging to see Matt Currie return for his first appearance of the season after his battle with vertigo, his opening contribution was costly. Under no pressure, the centre spilled the ball inside his own 22 as Edinburgh looked to make a routine clearance. Castres punished the error immediately, moving the ball sharply from the ensuing scrum to Cameroonian right winger Ambadiang, who crashed over in the corner to open the scoring.

It was a stuttering first half in which Edinburgh controlled field position and possession but Castres were clearly eager to play when they did have the ball. Fijian centre and player of the match Vilimoni Botitu made one such break from his own 22, but the threat was halted by an excellent jackal penalty from constantly impressive 20-year-old openside Freddy Douglas. Edinburgh again failed to capitalise, however, as Cammy Scott missed touch with his kick. Then from the resulting scrum, fullback Jack Brown was forced from the field for a HIA, after getting his head on the wrong side of a tackle against the massive frame of winger Ambadiang.

There will have been keen interest from Scottish supporters at scrum time, with young tight-head Ollie Blyth-Lafferty making another start following his impressive performance against Toulon. He won an early scrum penalty against the experienced Quentin Walcker, though at the next scrum Boan Venter was penalised, handing Castres valuable territory inside the Edinburgh 22. From a five-metre lineout, Castres looked ominous, but Douglas once again came up big, disrupting a well-set maul and trapping the ball to win a crucial scrum for the visitors.

Edinburgh continued to contest the breakdown effectively and won another jackal penalty through Currie on halfway. This time Scott found touch, allowing the visitors to re-establish themselves inside the Castres 22. Another penalty gave them a five-metre line-out, but a lack of composure proved costly again. After hammering away from close range without reward, Edinburgh moved the ball wide, where a floated miss pass was intercepted by Pierre Popelin with the try line beckoning.

Given the inexperience in the Edinburgh side, it was a respectable position at half-time, though one that could – and perhaps should – have been far better after multiple missed chances as well as the bulk of the possession and field position.

The second half was only two minutes old when Ambadiang threatened once more. A well-executed miss-pass released the right winger down the touchline, but Goosen and Wells combined well to shepherd him into touch. The effort came at a cost, however, as Wells left the field for a head injury assessment following his attempted tackle on the powerful winger. It marked Edinburgh’s second HIA in the back three, forcing the first reshuffle that saw James Lang move into the centre and Piers O’Conor shift to the wing.

Douglas’ influence continued into the second half, producing another outstanding intervention when his side needed him. Ambadiang again – yes, that same winger, again! – crashed through tackles inside the Edinburgh 22, placing the defence under severe pressure, but Douglas showed impressive work rate to recover and secure his third crucial turnover of the match.

Castres were beginning to win the collisions with worrying regularity at this stage though. Captain Baptiste Delaporte claimed a jackal turnover of his own inside the Edinburgh 22, and from the ensuing kick to the corner, the hosts’ maul proved unstoppable. Hooker Loris Zarantonello was the beneficiary, grounding the ball as Castres extended their lead.

In search of a foothold, Everitt turned to his bench just before the hour mark, introducing a fresh front-row and Hamish Watson in an attempt to swing the contest. The desired impact, however, failed to materialise. Edinburgh struggled to escape their own half as Castres continued to profit at the breakdown.

The pressure eventually told. After repelling several attacks inside their 22, Edinburgh undermined their defensive endeavour when Ewan Ashman’s line-out throw sailed over the top and into the waiting arms of Tyler Ardron, who gratefully accepted the gift to score Castres’ third try.

Matters worsened shortly after the restart when O’Conor was shown a yellow-card for a clumsy high tackle, spared a red by a late change of direction from the ball carrier.

Castres ruthlessly exploited their numerical advantage. Another ruck penalty handed them prime field position, from which left winger Adam Vargas strolled in to secure the try bonus point. Still down to 14 men, Edinburgh were soon scrambling again as a missed tackle allowed Botitu to break from his own half. He linked with replacement Vuate Karawalevu before receiving the return pass to race clear and score Castres’ fifth try.

Amid a second half in which the hosts’ experience and power were reflected heavily on the scoreboard, there were still positives for Edinburgh, particularly in the back-row. Young flankers Douglas and McConnell both impressed, while Boyle’s return from the bench marked his first appearance since suffering a serious knee injury in April 2024.

With minutes to play, Edinburgh finally looked to have their first score when the ball came loose around halfway, Edinburgh broke upfield and Ashman eventually touched down under the posts. It was ruled out due to a knock on earlier in the play though.

Castres are a hard team to beat at home. This significantly rotated Edinburgh side did well to limit them to five points in the first half but should have scored more than once themselves. You cannot squander chances away from home in the Champions Cup, and this inexperienced side learned that the hard way in the second half.

Once the hosts had a cushion on the scoreboard, they attacked relentlessly to drive home that pressure. Castres recorded 13 clean breaks to Edinburgh’s one across the 80 minutes – a tough wave to hold back for long.

 

Teams –

Castres Olympique: G Palis; C Ambadiang, V Botitu, J Goodhue, A Vargas; P Popelin, J Fernandez; Q Walcker, L Zarantonello, A Azar, G Maravat, T Staniforth, B Delaporte, T Ardron, A Papalii. Subs used: T Durand-Pradere, L Guerois-Galisson, N Corato, L Nakarawa, B Cope, G Doubrere, E Herve, V Karawalevu.

Edinburgh: J Brown; R McCann, M Currie, P O’Conor, L Wells; C Scott, B Vellacott; B Venter, H Morris, O Blyth-Laffety, C Hunter-Hill, G Young, L McConnell, F Douglas, T Dodd. Subs used: E Ashman, M Jones, P Hill, C Boyle, H Watson, C Shiel, J Lang, W Goosen.

Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)

 

Scorers –

Castres: Tries: Ambadiang, Zarantonello, Ardron,  Vargas,  Botitu; Cons:  Popelin 4

Edinburgh: No scorers.

Scoring sequence (Castres first): 5-0 (h-t) 10-0; 12-0; 17-0; 19-0; 24-0; 26-0; 31-0; 33-0.

 

Yellow card –

Edinburgh: O’Conor