Edinburgh fall to late Zebre Parma penalty

Despite fighting back from a 14-point deficit on two occasions, Edinburgh were edged out in the final moments, though they return home with two vital bonus points.

The match exploded into life with Zebre dominating the opening quarter. Following a penalty kick to the corner, Zebre hooker Bartolomeo eventually bullied his way over the line in the 3rd minute to break the deadlock.

Just ten minutes later, the hosts doubled their advantage when prop Pitinari touched down, establishing a 14-0 lead.

A crucial moment came in the 15th minute when Zebre captain Licata was shown a 20-minute red card after a review upgraded his initial yellow for a high, dangerous tackle on Edinburgh hooker Ewan Ashman.

Edinburgh immediately capitalised on the numerical advantage. Back-rower Liam McConnell bruised over for his first senior club try just two minutes later to narrow the gap to 14-7.

McConnell continued to be at the heart of the action, following up his score with a crucial breakdown steal that allowed Healy to nail a brilliant 50:22 kick, giving Edinburgh prime attacking position.

From the resulting lineout, the capital side launched a free-flowing attack, with Wes Goosen and Ben Vellacott combining beautifully in the loose, creating space for captain Magnus Bradbury to dive over in the corner and level the scores at 14-14 after just 22 minutes.

However, despite being down a player, Zebre showed resilience. Right on the stroke of half-time, winger Gesi raced under the sticks straight from a lineout strike play, ensuring the Italian side took a 21-14 lead into the break.

Zebre delivered another blow shortly after the restart, with scrum-half Fusco dotting down from close range to extend the hosts’ lead back to 28-14.

Edinburgh responded by introducing experienced reinforcements, including the dynamic duo of Pierre Schoeman and Hamish Watson.

Their direct carrying immediately led to improved field position, culminating in Ben Vellacott sniping over in the 49th minute to reduce the deficit to 28-21.

The drama continued when Zebre try-scorer Pitinari was sin-binned for a cynical infringement near his own line, but Edinburgh failed to convert the resulting driving maul, knocking the ball on just metres from the line.

The visitors pressed relentlessly for the game-tying score. With only six minutes remaining, Hamish Watson earned a critical turnover penalty inside the Zebre 22, allowing Healy to kick to the corner.

The lineout drive was successful, with replacement Paddy Harrison rumbling over to level the scores at 28-28.

However, the late fightback was undone in the 78th minute. Having the put-in at a scrum deep in the Edinburgh half, Zebre won a decisive penalty, which replacement Martin Roger Farias calmly struck home to secure a 31-28 victory for the hosts.

Edinburgh earn two bonus points – a try bonus point and a losing bonus point (LBP) – which could prove valuable later in the season, however they will return to Edinburgh disappointed in their overall performance.

The team now turns its attention to their first home game of the campaign next Friday night (3 October, kick-off 8.05 pm) against Ulster at Hive Stadium.