Edinburgh need knockout mentality in every game
Co-captain Grant Gilchrist says Edinburgh must embrace the pressure of high-stakes rugby because every match between now and the end of the season represents a knockout situation.Gilchrist was among the try scorers as Edinburgh edged a thrilling Challenge Cup quarter-final 34-28 against the Bulls.After building a 31-7 lead, Edinburgh had to withstand a ferocious Bulls fightback before ultimately getting over the line.The victory secured a home semi-final against either Gloucester or Bath, and with the capital side also in the thick of a scrap to reach the URC play-offs, Gilchrist says there is little margin for error."Games at this level are tough and knockout rugby, you've just got to find a way to win. We dug in enough to do that," Gilchrist told BBC Scotland. "We knew it was going to be a real test. We were playing a top-quality team."I thought the first half we were outstanding. Some of the speed in our play, the connected play between backs and forwards, it was as good as we've been, clearly, by how we found ourselves on the scoreboard."We've got to get comfortable in that space of knockout rugby. Our position in the URC is going to help us with that, because between now and the semi-final, we find ourselves in games that we have to win as well."We're two wins away from silverware. It's not pie-in-the-sky stuff any more. It's real."
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