Ewan Ashman makes granny joke but Edinburgh are serious URC play-off contenders

Hooker is relishing the pressure in fight for URC play-offs

Ewan Ashman said the two tries he notched against Zebre were so easy his granny could have scored them and that’s a testament to the strength and efficiency of the Edinburgh pack rather than any slight on the visiting Italians.

The self-deprecating Scotland hooker was the grateful recipient at the end of a couple of lineout drives in the first half as the home side laboured to a 40-16 win. Two late scores added a bit of gloss to the scoreline but it was a case of job done for Edinburgh who got the bonus point and kept alive their hopes of making the URC play-offs.

There are two rounds of fixtures left and, in truth, Sean Everitt’s side will need to be a lot better when they face Munster at the Hive on Friday and Benetton in Treviso on June 1. While the Zebre game may not have been perfect, Edinburgh have now won three in a row and Ashman sees plenty of scope for improvement. Specifically, he thinks they can be better in terms of conceding turnovers and “piggybacking penalties”.

“The perfect outcome for me is to get a win and have a lot of stuff to work on,” he said. “We’ll keep building – there is a lot of belief in the team and the vibe is good. We’re getting a bit of momentum, so if we can iron out a few things, especially from that second half against Zebre, to produce a complete 80 [minute performance] we can do something special at the end of the season.”

Edinburgh were never able to unleash their backline fully against Zebre which will be a source of frustration for Everitt when he has such potent threats as Duhan van der Merwe in his side. The winger didn’t see a huge amount of the ball and it was left to the big men up front to deliver. Four of Edinburgh’s six tries came off the back of lineout drives, including Ashman’s opening double.

“There’s nothing to them!” laughed the hooker, who was quick to praise the work of his team-mates, including Pierre Schoeman and Grant Gilchrist. “I probably owe a few of the boys a beer. Big Schoey and Gilly were sorting me out and making me look good. I don’t do too much - my granny probably could have scored those tries. But I enjoy them and they are all the same on the scoreboard.

“We’ve made a point of priding ourselves on our power game, so to have that platform off that scrum and maul is huge for us. That’s something we will be going after again in the coming games.”

Edinburgh's Ewan Ashman scored two tries in the win over Zebre in the BKT United Rugby Championship at Hive Stadium, on May 10, 2024. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

Such is the bunching of teams in the middle of the URC table that play-off shakedown is unlikely to be settled until the final weekend. A win over Munster this week would go a long way to sealing Edinburgh’s place in the quarter-finals but the match against the defending champions is up there with the toughest tests Everitt’s side will face.

“It’s tight in the middle and we know what we need to do,” added Ashman. “You can only control what you can control, but I love it. I love the pressure and how tight it is and I fully believe this group can go and do it. I’m really enjoying every game.

“The pressure is bringing out the best in us. Every single game is a must-win game and that’s class to be a part of.”