Manu hails Mata as catalyst to European romp

Hat-trick hero sings praises of Olympic gold medallist after inspiring Edinburgh to victory

TIMISOARA SARACENS 17 EDINBURGH 59

Edinburgh hat-trick hero Nasi Manu shrugged off his feat and insisted Olympic superstar ‘Bill’ Mata provided the spark for success on his debut.

Manu and skipper Stuart McInally both bagged trebles in the European Challenge Cup romp over the Romanians.

But the former was gushing over the performance of the Fijian, who was making his first competitive appearance since winning sevens gold in Rio.

Manu said: “It was great to have Bill out there with us -–he is just so exciting.

“He is the type of player who gets over the gain-line and can offload the ball.

“If you are a support runner around him, you have to expect anything to happen. “His skill level is amazing.” While the demolition job on Timisoara in Edinburgh’s first continental outing of the season was the perfect confidence boost for the capital side, Manu and his mates know they will need a big step up to beat English giants Harlequins at Murrayfield on Saturday.

“He added: “We know that if we stick to our structures we will have opportunities to score.

“Obviously next weekend is going to be a different kettle of fish in terms of the strength of opposition.

“It is going to be a tough game, but we know that if we follow our plans, we’re in with a chance.

“Our attack is definitely growing and it is all about doing the basics right.

“If Quins come and throw the ball around, our defence will be under pressure so it’s important we front up there as well as in attack.”

This was a night where the Scottish outfit broke several club records in scoring nine tries.

Captain McInally’s first-half hat-trick was a first for the club in the Challenge Cup.

McInally’s record was not the only new ground broken by his side as the victory also set new club benchmarks in the European competition; highest points tally (59), biggest winning margin registered (42), most tries scored (9), and most conversions kicked (7).

New coach Duncan Hodge also hailed the contribution of his rookies.

He said: “It was important for us to put down a marker, and we did that. It was great that from the first two possessions we scored two very good team tries.

“There was a few boys playing who haven’t had much game time, so it was good for them to get a run and there was a few guys who stuck their hand up today.

“Murray McCallum, for example, played 80 minutes and did exceptionally well; Lewis Carmichael got another half; Bill Mata played well; and there was some really good stuff in that performance.

“It’s good to come out here and get a comprehensive win, and can now look forward to next Saturday.” There was a few boys playing who haven’t had much game time, so it was good for them to get a run.

“Some guys stuck their hand up.”

Picture: SNS. Viliame Mata made his competitive debut for Edinburgh.