We asked for a reaction, and we got a reaction. After last week’s mauling by the Lions, in fact regardless of last week's result, a bonus point win against the Stormers is a fantastic result.
The Stormers will be disappointed with their performance, but this is a team with an impressive URC record. They are a quality outfit who provided a formidable blitz defence and looked dangerous with loose ball. Even on their off days, they must be respected.
Edinburgh took it all in their stride, well and truly having the upper hand from the first to the final minute.
The Stormers were sloppy at times and made mistakes. Edinburgh capitalised on these, but none of the tries could have been described as soft. They were the result of sustained pressure through well worked, phase play. Defence was equally sustained, holding the Stormers out for long passages of play.
Edinburgh’s performance was greatly improved, but it wasn’t perfect. The lineout repeatedly misfired at key moments and the attack required continuous thumping at the door to be let in.
My biggest frustration was that with 18 minutes to go, the game had been all but won and the bonus point secured, and yet Cammy Scott remained on the bench. This is a prime opportunity to break in new players, but he was only given the final five minutes; barely any time to gain experience.
There were a few exceptional performances on Saturday including Matt Scott and Magnus Bradbury, but the two that really stood out were Paddy Harrison and Ben Muncaster.
Both are academy graduates and both should be causing the incumbents to be fighting for their places. There is talent coming through the academy, and they need to be given experience.
The one player who seemed largely absent on Saturday was Duhan van der Merwe and if reports are to be believed, this may be something that we will have to get used to. There is talk of him moving on from Edinburgh, potentially heading back to France.
Personally, I don’t think it will be a great loss to Edinburgh.
It must be acknowledged that he is Scotland’s all-time leading try scorer and this is because he is an awesome specimen of an athlete. Given space, he has the pace and power to finish tries worthy of any highlights reels.
He is however an athlete over being a rugby player and there are gaps in his skillset. If a TopTrumps card was made, he would be unbeatable for try scoring but would be vulnerable in tackling, kicking, high-ball and decision making.
Duhan is a performer and needs a grand stage to do so. He thrives for Scotland, particularly in Calcutta Cup games or when chasing personal targets such as scoring against every other Six Nations team or breaking Stuart Hogg's record.
His most memorable Edinburgh try from last year was undoubtedly in the 1872 cup, in Murrayfield, in the highest-profile game of the season. Coincidence?
His motivation doesn’t translate to wet and windy nights in Hive Stadium. With the excitement of his return from Worcester, Duhan scored a brace in his first match back, but over 12 months passed before he scored another try for Edinburgh.
We have had other players waiting in the wings, but have not been able to use them. Finn Douglas was a bright talent, but unfortunately, there wasn’t space to keep him.
Jake Henry is finally reaching playing maturity and has put injuries behind him, but we have had to farm him out on loan.
Duhan’s gestures towards them did nothing to calm their frustrations. Cardiff usually bring a good travelling support and it will be interesting to see if they arrive bearing a grudge.
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