Sam Hidalgo-Clyne celebrated his Scotland call-up with two tries, 28 points and the man of the match award as Edinburgh rolled into the European Challenge Cup last eight with an easy win over Bordeaux-Begles at BT Murrayfield.
The 21-year-old, called into Vern Cotter’s Six Nations squad at the start of this week, could have had a hat-trick but for one errant pass but was grateful to his pack and especially his front row for a dominating platform for the win.
Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford and Willem Nel destroyed the French scrum allowing Hidalgo-Clyne to show his full repertoire with his two scores, a number of sharp passes and an outstanding goal-kicking display, missing only two out of nine attempts at goal.
Two second-half tries helped the visitors to flatter themselves on the scoreboard but Edinburgh’s bonus point gives them a chance of a seeding for a home quarter-final in April.
Edinburgh first-half scrum dominance was so marked that on one occasion they were pushing the French back too fast, lost their footing and were penalised.
Four penalties went against the Bordeaux-Begles front row and Hidalgo-Clyne helped himself to nine points from three of them, and the new Scotland squad member might have had two tries before the break.
The scrum-half’s neat scissors with Dougie Fife off a lineout in their own half sprung the Scotland wing deep into French territory, and although David Denton sprinted to be the link, his pass to Hidalgo-Clyne was woeful with nothing between the No 9 and the goal-line.
Lionel Beauxis kicked two penalties to keep Bordeaux-Begles within range but some neat pressure kicks from Matt Scott and Nick McLennan set up Edinburgh for the first half’s only try.
From solid lineout position the forwards drove relentlessly to the line, where they were stalled but Hidalgo-Clyne darted off the back and dived over.
Even with veteran French international Jean-Baptiste Poux on Bordeaux-Begles fared no better at the scrum and Hidalgo-Clyne landed a fourth penalty from 44 metres to put his side 17-6 ahead just after the break.
And Edinburgh booked their quarter-final place with a try fashioned by the forwards, successive rucks putting a dent in the French backline for Dickinson to sprint through, and although the Scotland prop was tackled just short of the line, Matt Scott scrambled over.
Hidalgo-Clyne converted and although Bordeaux-Begles showed signs of life with a neat try from full back and captain Baptiste Serin, Edinburgh came right back and when Visser was caught just short, Willem Nel went over for his side’s third.
Edinburgh were not be denied a bonus point, with more sniping from Hidalgo-Clyne rewarded when the TMO agreed he’d got the ball down after taking on two defenders at the line.
The scrum-half then fittingly got a deserved rest along for the last ten minutes with both Dickinson and Ford.
Replacement fly-half Pierre Bernard bagged a late consolation for Bordeaux that flattered the visitors as Edinburgh sailed into the quarter-finals.
Att: 4817
Edinburgh: N McLennan; D Fife, M Scott (A Strauss 61), P Burleigh, T Visser; G Tonks, (J Te Rure 55) S Hidalgo-Clyne (S Kennedy 70); A Dickinson (R Sutherland 70), R Ford (N Cochrane 70), WP Nel; A Bresler (F McKenzie 68), B Toolis; M Coman (capt), H Watson, D Denton (R Grant 55).
Bordeaux-Begles: V Serin (capt ); L Aumija, C Brousse, T Lacroix, P Riva; L Beauxis (P Bernard 53), H Adams (Y Lesgourges 58); J Poirot (S Taofifuenua 40), B Auzqui (O Avei 53), F Gomez Kodela (J-B Poux 27, P Toetu 58); J Le Devedec, J A Marais; B Guiry, H Chalmers, T Tuifua (M Graham 58).
Ref I Davies (WRU)