A sparkling display from scrum-half Hector Patterson inspired Edinburgh to a comfortable bonus-point victory over Lions in the United Rugby Championship.
Two days after signing an improved contract at the club, the 21-year-old continued his fine start to the season with two tries and two assists as Edinburgh made it four league wins from four. In wet and windy conditions in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh edged a tight first half thanks to Matt Currie's try, which came after a neat combination with Patterson down the left flank.
Edinburgh's line-out was totally dominant, with lock Glen Young and flanker Liam Mc Connell particularly impressive, but the hosts' forwards were outshone by their effervescent nine. Mosese Tuipulotu powered over for Edinburgh's second try on 47 minutes after gathering a Patterson offload, and the provider soon turned scorer himself as Patterson raced under the posts following a slick backs move. Batho Hlekani crossed for Lions' only try after a spell of pressure on the Edinburgh line, but they were unable to build on that score.
Patterson's second try was a superb piece of opportunism and effectively killed the contest. In the closing stages, winger Geordie Gwynn went over in the corner to add further gloss to the scoreline. Edinburgh stay top of the URC table on 19 points, while Lions have won two of their four league matches. The only negative for Edinburgh was a curtailed return for star winger Duhan van der Merwe, who was forced off less than 20 minutes into his first start after injury.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing