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'It means a lot... we've had a tough run these last couple of months' - McInally

By PA
PA

Stuart McInally feels Edinburgh’s comeback triumph at Sale can be a pivotal moment in their season.

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Edinburgh came from 12 points down to beat Sharks 16-15 on the road in their second Heineken Champions Cup group game on Saturday night.

Richard Cockerill’s side were on the receiving end of a similar comeback from Ulster in last season’s delayed Guinness PRO14 semi-finals and have had a difficult start to this season after losing a full squad of players for their opening games.

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They suffered a narrow loss in their European opener against La Rochelle and were 12-0 down in Salford but a try from Mark Bennett and Jaco Van Der Walt’s kicking earned them victory.

Co-captain McInally said on the club’s website: “It means a lot. In the context of the tournament it keeps us alive in the Heineken Champions Cup which is one thing.

“But also for the group, we’ve had a tough run these last couple of months and we’ve just continued to work as hard as we can and it’s nice just to get a win.

“We had a good performance last week, but we came up just a little bit short in the result. Yeah it’s massive for the boys, the boys are delighted with that.

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“I definitely think this will help us with some belief, we’ve never taken our foot off the gas in terms of what we do on the training pitch, and we’ve always been committed to our cause, but we’ve just not got those results, and sometimes it can be quite hard to get out of that rut.

“A big performance away from home – we can definitely take a lot of belief going into the next round of games.”

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Jon 13 hours ago
Why Sam Cane's path to retirement is perfect for him and the All Blacks

> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.

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