RISING star George Taylor is delighted to have given his boss a headache after shining in Edinburgh’s impressive 31-10 win at Agen in Friday’s opening European Challenge Cup fixture.
The 22-year-old centre, who earned his starting berth only after Richard Cockerill had decided to give some of his squad players the chance to showcase their talent, was only one of the peripheral men who nudged themselves into their coach’s thinking for a run of big fixtures coming up.
“I think some boys have made it very difficult for him now”, said Taylor, who insists the decision by Cockerill to field a clutch of inexperienced players was not a sign of the coach downgrading his European ambitions.
“In terms of the campaign, we are very much going out to win every game and see where we end up. We’ve created a good squad and Cockers has a lot of faith in boys stepping up.”
Taylor bagged the first two Edinburgh tries in an 11-minute purple patch that also featured a solo effort by Damien Hoyland as the Scots bounced back from conceding an early penalty to reach half time with a 21-3 lead.
A penalty extended the gap but a spell of pressure yielded a try for the French outfit and Taylor was prominent in a spirited defensive effort that repelled numerous subsequent Agen attacks. Then, deep into injury time Cammy Fenton applied the final touch to secure the bonus point try. The patient build up to that score was evidence, Taylor believes, of Edinburgh’s ability to stick rigidly to a game plan.
“It was difficult, but there were no individual heroes trying to get the fourth try themselves. The pack stuck together and we wanted nothing less than to come away with a bonus point and that’s what the boys did,” he added.
Next up is another clash with French opposition when Bordeaux visit BT Murrayfield on Friday. Taylor is delighted to have made selection tough for Cockerill.
“We’ve come to France, a very difficult place to come and play and taken away five points. The boys really stepped up, so it’s making Cockers’ job a lot more difficult,” he said.
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