Edinburgh (20) 62
Tries: Robertson 2, Cairns, Paterson, Hogg, MacDonald, Turnbull, Grant. Cons: Paterson 8. Pens: Paterson 2.
Connacht (6) 13
Tries: Carr. Cons: Nikora. Pens: Keatley.

Mark Robertson capped a great display against Connacht with two tries

Edinburgh followed their opening-day win at Cardiff with a thumping victory over Connacht at Murrayfield.

The Irish visitors were first to score, from stand-off Ian Keatley's penalty, but Rob Moffat's side replied with the first of two Mark Robertson tries.

Ben Cairns, Chris Paterson, Allister Hogg, Alan MacDonald, Andrew Turnbull and Roddy Grant tries helped Edinburgh to their biggest Magners League win.

Fionn Carr caught the Edinburgh defence cold to score Connacht's only try.

Edinburgh flanker MacDonald was sin-binned for the foul that gave Connacht the penalty from which they took the lead, but a storming run by Robertson from the wing to under the posts gave Edinburgh their first try.

Chris Paterson had the simplest of conversions, his first of eight.

Paterson and Keatley traded penalties but Edinburgh were unable to make possession count against a dogged Connacht defence until Paterson sent over penalty number three.

On the half-hour, a promising Connacht move broke down on the Edinburgh 22 with a fumble by scrum-half Frank Murphy.

Edinburgh lock Craig Hamilton pounced and his hack downfield ended with Ben Cairns going over the try-line.

Paterson converted to give Edinburgh a 20-6 half-time lead.

At the beginning of the second period Cairns's break to five metres from the Connacht line was finished off by Paterson.

Robertson then grabbed his second try after being set up by Phil Godman's quick-tap penalty.

Hogg then strolled over off the back of a scrum with an increasingly frayed Connacht down to 13 men.

Flanker MacDonald went in for try number six, Turnbull scampered 50 metres for the next one, while Paterson kept up an unblemished kicking record for the night.

Carr's 67th-minute try for Connacht was scant consolation, particularly as Edinburgh went straight back down the field for Grant to go over, with Paterson's conversion bringing up a total of 27 points for the Scotland full-back.

Edinburgh coach Rob Moffat: "For me, it's that whole attitude and vibrancy, I thought we had that at Cardiff last week.

"In the first half I think we were a wee bit flat, we were a bit slow reacting to the ball-carrier. He was isolated, we just didn't get on him; we didn't get any real go-forward.

"But second half, when we did, I thought we played a lot of good rugby. We looked sharp and the good thing is we finished off a lot of the good moves."

Edinburgh: Paterson, Robertson, Cairns, Houston, A. Turnbull, Godman, Laidlaw, Jacobsen, Kelly, G. Cross, C. Hamilton, MacLeod, MacDonald, Grant, Hogg.
Replacements: Ford, Traynor, McKenzie, Newlands, M. Blair, De Luca, Jones.

Connacht: Duffy, Tuohy, Nathan, Matthews, Carr, Keatley, F. Murphy, Loughney, Cronin, Hagan, Browne, Upton, Muldoon, Ofisa, McCarthy.
Replacements: Flavin, Higgins, McComish, O'Connor, Nikora, O'Loughlin, Wynne.

Attendance: 3,042

Referee: James Jones (WRFU)

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