Cockerill keen to build on momentum

Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill says Saturday’s impressive 20-10 win over Cardiff Blues will all be for nothing if they don’t follow it up.

The PRO14 opening round fixture was Cockerill’s first game in charge since taking over in the off-season and the 46-year-old mentor will be relieved to have got off to a winning start.

However, he still believes his side can play much better than that. While Cockerill could not fault their commitment, he believes they can improve their execution.

“Defensively and mentally we were good and there was fantastic physicality, but that should be the bare minimum,” Cockerill told the Dundee Courier.

“Commitment should not be commended, it should be expected really.

“This side have a history over having a great win and following it with a bad loss. I think we can play a lot better and we still have a lot of work to do. Our next task is fronting up against Dragons this weekend.

“It is about keeping that work ethic and mind set right in training and not getting too comfortable about one win in Cardiff, who with respect finished a couple of places above this last season.

“It is not like we beat a top four team. It is a step forward, undoubtedly, but just that.”

He was happy with the character his side showed when Cardiff Blues levelled the scores at 10-10, but admits it was not a conscious decision to stock up with experience on the bench.

“You could imagine the doubts of last season probably coming in when it was 10 all and it was really a pivotal moment for us,” he said. “Instead we dug ourselves back into the game and got control and were unlucky not to score more tries.

“It was good to have internationals like Rizzo, Fordy, Berghan, Toolis and Cornell, that’s a strong bench and shows the depth we have.

“But it wasn’t about bringing the cavalry on, the guys who started deserved it because of their pre-season. The Test boys by and large hadn’t done enough to get into the side.”