'First half hard to ignore as Edinburgh get job done'

A 43-18 victory is a big win by any standard but the margin tells only a fraction of the story.

It was an abysmal first half from Edinburgh's perspective. Our line-out was taken apart by Scarlets and we were sloth-like at the breakdown. There were also flashbacks to the Challenge Cup match when they managed to charge down a number of box-kicks.

At half-time, it looked like a terrible Scarlets team was about to put an end to Edinburgh's season, but the second half was a different animal entirely.

I didn't think our first-half problems were in the front-row but there's no doubt the 'Bam Squad' made an impact.

Our first try of the half looked as if it had actually had some planning behind it - a pleasant surprise - and it sparked the subsequent rout.

Our discipline held up for the rest of the match, only five penalties conceded throughout, and we kept Scarlets off the scoreboard apart from a solitary penalty. We also secured a hugely important bonus point for only the second time this season.

Job done then? Sort of. It's hard to ignore that first half because some of the teams we've still to play won't be as generous as Scarlets were.

Four games remain and three points separate the teams from sixth from 11th. It's tighter than the lid on a jar of pickles and only the teams with the best grip will be able to deal with that pressure.

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch