Why Edinburgh won’t compromise their commitment to attacking rugby

Edinburgh have been praised for their commitment to attacking rugby this season and no-one has benefited from this more than Mark Bennett.

The centre has been given a new lease of life under coach Mike Blair and is adamant they won’t change their expansive style as the season reaches its climax.

Edinburgh are through to the quarter-finals of both the United Rugby Championship and the Challenge Cup and host Wasps in the latter on Saturday.

Blair’s side saw their unbeaten home record ended by Ulster last weekend but still managed to secure a losing bonus point through a late try by Bennett which clinched their place in the URC play-offs.

Their opponents in the last eight will be determined by the result of the 1872 Cup clash against Glasgow Warriors on May 21 at Murrayfield which is expected to attract a crowd in excess of 20,000.

The big games are coming thick and fast, but Bennett says Edinburgh will not compromise the way they play, even against top-class opposition.

“It’s what we’re about,” said the Scotland international. “You saw that at the weekend: the first play of the game, we made a line-break from kick-off. It’s us. It’s the brand of rugby that we want to play, it’s the brand of rugby that we find suits us. So I don’t think we need to step away from that.

“We need to crack on now. We’ve played some great rugby, we’ve won some big games, but the bigger ones are still to come. So the next few weeks are going to be big for the club and really show how far we’ve stepped forward this season.”

The contrast with last year is stark. Edinburgh were far more conservative under previous coach Richard Cockerill and Bennett saw little of the ball. Blair has unshackled the centre and been rewarded with a string of impressive