Edinburgh 15-13 Leinster: MacDonald loving it as Edinburgh hold nerve

RISING STAR Alan MacDonald revealed how agony turned to ecstasy for his Edinburgh rugby side in the final moments of an electrifying 15-13 Magners Celtic League win which ended Leinster's 11-match unbeaten run in the competition.

Deep into injury time Edinburgh were penalised 30 metres out from the posts and 20 metres in from touch and normally kicks from that range are a formality for Leinster's Felipe Contepomi as the league's second top scorer going into last night's match.

But, with his side closing in on the title, the Argentine smacked his attempt against the post prompting a mass scramble to clear and bring on the final whistle.

MacDonald, the pick of an outstanding crop of Edinburgh players most notably Ross Ford, Hugo Southwell and Matt Mustchin, recalled: "The entire last ten minutes were nerve wracking but that was nothing to the final 30 seconds.

"Agony, when we were judged to have handled in a ruck, to ecstasy with the kick being missed sums it up. That period was a bit of a blur and I just remember hoping that the kick would miss because I felt we had played well enough in patches to deserve a win.

"When the ball came back into play off the post it was suddenly very frantic – then Ben Cairns managed to touch down over our line for the final whistle to blow."

Nobody was entitled to breath a bigger sigh of relief at clinching a victory which moves Edinburgh up one place to fourth than MacDonald. For if the 22-year-old has tended to be overshadowed by the three internationalists vying for starts in his back row berth this was a night when MacDonald, himself an 'A' cap this season, came into his own.

Both Edinburgh tries, scored by Ross Ford and Dave Callam, owed much to the creativity of ex-Royal High and Heriot's ace MacDonald. On the first occasion he moved the ball away brilliantly after Ben Cairns had charged on to a ricochet so that the score could occur on the opposite wing and later sound positional sense took MacDonald out wide so as to provide the vital pass which unlocked the Irish defence.

As if that was not enough MacDonald also contributed key turn-overs, often diving in at the feet of the Leinster pack and none more vital than just after Luke Fitzgerald's converted try in the 71st minute had brought Leinster back into a game they had faded from as Edinburgh gradually grew in confidence.

"When we managed to get going our attack was capable of playing good stuff," MacDonald said. "For example, when Dave Callam went through for his try (from 25 metres out] he really was stepping on the gas.

"At times, too, when our defence was tested the spirit in our ranks saw us through."

Edinburgh have never finished higher than fifth in this competition but with two away games remaining, at Ospreys and Llanelli, it is easily possible for them to finish runners-up to a Leinster side guaranteed to take the title irrespective of last night's setback.

The message from MacDonald is that if they can beat the champions-elect then any scalp is within their compass.

"It's just a joy to be part of this Edinburgh set-up and we'll certainly be giving it a go to see just how high up we can finish," he said.

Initially it seemed Edinburgh might struggle to repeat a European Cup win over the same opposition earlier this season on the same ground.

A single Contepomi penalty was poor return for incessant Leinster pressure during the opening tenminutes especially when Edinburgh moved up to the other end where John Houston flattened Fitzgerald with a crunching tackle which led to Cairns hacking into the visiting 22.

There MacDonald was on to the ball in a flash to spread play wide for Southwell to send over Ford with Godman adding a handsome conversion.

Contepomi reduced the deficit with a penalty cancelled out by Godman – who now stands on 99 points for the season – and the key spell occurred when Edinburgh survived a ten minute sin-binning for Ally Hogg for ball-killing without yielding any scores.

Fortified by this Edinburgh struck through Callam and that was valuable insurance against the Leinster response.

Edinburgh coach Andy Robinson said: "Whether he got that last kick or not I was pleased with the way our players responded."

Added the man who gave special mentions to MacDonald, winger Simon Webster, Nick De Luca, Ben Cairns, Phil Godman and substitute prop Geoff Cross: "There was a lot of courage. I thought we controlled the forward rushes very well."

Of course for all those qualities Edinburgh could have been undone at the death, but fortune favours the brave and for the crowd of 3138 climaxes to a contest, never mind the home season, don't get any more exciting.

Scorers: Edinburgh: Tries: Ford, Callam. Conversion: Godman. Penalty: Godman. Leinster: Try: Fitzgerald. Conversion: Contepomi. Pens: Contepomi (2).

Edinburgh: Southwell,Webster, (Blair, 60-62), Cairns, De Luca, Houston (MacRae, 28), Godman, Laidlaw (Meyer, 72), Allori, Ford, Kerr (Cross, 40), Mustchin, Gissing, Hogg, MacDonald, Callam. Replacements: MacRae for Houston (29), Meyer for Laidlaw (71), G Cross for Kerr (41). Subs not used: Kelly, Hamilton, Newlands.

Leinster: Dempsey, Fitzgerald, O'Driscoll (Warner, 67), Contepomi, Kearney, Sexton, Whitaker, le Roux, Jackman, Wright, Cullen (O'Kelly, 35), Hogan, Keogh, Jennings (Gleason, 54), Heaslip. Subs not used: Blaney, Knoop, Keane, Brown.

Referee: Mr N Owens (Wales).