Edinburgh 24-10 Benetton: Scots go second in URC with fourth straight win

Image source, SNS

Image caption,

Darcy Graham sent Mike Blair's men on the way to a fourth successive victory

United Rugby Championship: Edinburgh v Benetton

Edinburgh (10) 24

Tries: D Graham, Boffelli, Kinghorn, McInally Cons: Kinghorn (2)

Benetton (3) 10

Try: Zuliani Con: Marin Pen: Marin

Blair Kinghorn inspired in-form Edinburgh to a bonus-point win over Benetton as they moved up to second in the United Rugby Championship.

The number 10 had a hand in the hosts' opening two tries, scored by Darcy Graham and Emiliano Boffelli with the Italians down to 14 men, before adding the third.

Stuart McInally made sure of a fourth straight victory for Mike Blair's team.

Edinburgh leapfrog Ulster - who visit Ospreys on Saturday - in the table.

Benetton struck first when Leonardo Marin pinged a penalty between the posts after Edinburgh were penalised for not rolling away quick enough.

The game swung in the hosts' favour after Benetton captain Dewaldt Duvenage was sin-binned for cynically stopping a try-scoring opportunity. It proved costly for the Italians as Edinburgh scored two tries in his absence.

Ben Vellacott scooped the ball from the back of the scrum and fed Kinghorn, who played in Graham to dart over the line wide on the right. Kinghorn hooked his conversion attempt well wide.

Argentine Boffelli then marked his home debut with a score, completing a move that began with brilliant work by Kinghorn and Graham to drive the team forward on the right.

The ball was worked across to the left by Vellacott, Jamie Hodgson, Matt Currie and Damien Hoyland, who fed Boffelli to power over. Kinghorn again missed the target with his conversion.

Edinburgh asserted their authority five minutes after the break when Kinghorn had an easy score after Benetton dropped the ball into his path. This time the fly-half successfully converted to open a 17-3 lead.

Benetton got back into it on the hour when replacement Manuel Zuliani forced his way over the line, but McInally soon doused their hopes by touching down after a strong line-out drive.

Kinghorn again converted as the hosts avenged their last-gasp defeat in Treviso in round two.