European Cup/Edinburgh 32 Wasps 31: For Wasps a visit to Murrayfield was the sort of step into the unknown which the European Cup keeps throwing up, and the English champions fell into a black hole. Edinburgh changed into black, the colour usually worn by Wasps, at half-time. It was as if that spooked the visitors, who produced a woeful second 40 minutes while Edinburgh grew hugely in self-belief.
Wasps led at the interval by 20-13, which hardly seemed to reflect their apparent superiority.
Murrayfield was cold and the grass slippery, supporting Edinburgh's game plan but presenting a challenge to the way Wasps tried to play. Furthermore, a crowd of 4,639 was said by the home side to be large and to have "got behind us for the first time this season".
Early on, however, the cheers which greeted a Wasps player being caught in possession and driven back were quickly hushed as the visitors reinforced the trouble spots, often with the mighty figure of Lawrence Dallaglio acting as a human boulder.
The visitors lit up the drab scene with a run by Mark van Gisbergen. Fielding an Edinburgh clearance inches from touch and near halfway, he appeared to pass magically through the entire opposition pack, then swerved infield past the only backs standing in his way. He seemed about to score an astonishing try under the posts, before Mike Blair's tackle at last halted him. Jonny O'Connor got over as the follow-up.
One miss from Van Gisbergen turned to gold for Wasps, when a penalty attempt that rebounded from the left upright fell into the path of Josh Lewsey who was unstoppable as he shot to the line.
But an over-ambitious pass from Dallaglio, and a fumble by Alex King, had already presented Edinburgh with a try. Chris Paterson kicked through and won the chase.
After half-time Wasps were twice penalised for careless infringements. It was from another Wasps breakdown that Southwell broke down the left touchline, linked with Francisco Leonelli and got the return pass to skip over the line.
Wasps, having fallen behind, scored again when a wide pass put Paul Sackey in at the corner. But it was another knock-on, this time by Lewsey, that caused the turnover that saw Edinburgh making their most threatening advance. Finally an astute short pass by the lock Scott Murray put through Simon Webster.
EDINBURGH: Southwell; Paterson (capt), Di Rollo, Jorgensen (Webster, 73), Leonelli; Godman, Blair (Lawson, 57); Hewett (Jacobsen, 70), Hall, Smith, Kellock, Murray, Mustchin (Strokosch, 73), Hogg, Taylor. Sinbin: Taylor, 77. Tries: Paterson, Southwell, Webster. Cons: Paterson. Pens: Paterson 5.
WASPS: Van Gisbergen; Sackey, Lewsey, Abbott, Voyce; King, M Dawson; Payne, Ibanez, Bracken (J Dawson, 74), Shaw (Skivington, 68), Birkett, Hart (J Dawson, 53; Rees, 63), Dallaglio (capt), O'Connor. Sinbin: Bracken, 51. Tries: O'Connor, Lewsey, Sackey. Cons: Van Gisbergen 2. Pens: Van Gisbergen 4.
Referee: C Berdos (France).
