Premiership clubs have long lamented the financial disparity they suffer with their French rivals, but Scotland's two professional sides are the paupers at European rugby's feast, rarely getting beyond the group stage.
Edinburgh are the only Scottish team to have qualified for the last eight, in 2004, and they arrived in Reading with one of the poorest away records of any team in the Heineken Cup, six victories in 16 years they deservedly made it seven,, and while it was by the narrowest of margins they had two tries ruled out by the video referee in the second half. Though the prop Geoff Cross looked to have grounded the ball short of the line, the wing Tim Visser appeared to have applied downward pressure, only to be judged to have lost control and knocked on.
"I am convinced I scored a try, but you have to accept the official verdict," said Visser, who was a handful for Irish all afternoon and created Edinburgh's first try by breaking a tackle and timing his off-load to his fellow wing, Lee Jones in a summary of a significant difference between the sides. Irish were less adept at keeping the ball alive.
The decision might have cost Edinburgh the game, but for Shontayne Hape. The Scottish club were trailing 19-17 with 12 minutes to go and were so convinced that Visser had scored after watching the replays on the big screen that Greig Laidlaw was preparing for the conversion.
When it was ruled out, Edinburgh were awarded a penalty, which Laidlaw kicked, because Hape had shoulder-charged Sean Cox during the move that led to Visser diving for the line. The England centre, who had various confrontations with Cox that may lead to either or both players being cited, was sent to the sin-bin. Irish had one chance to win the match in his absence, but Tom Homer missed his first penalty of the game after landing four.
"We need to be better than needing Tom to kick us to victory," said the London Irish head coach, Toby Booth. "We were pretty poor by the standards we have set and failed to control the game. With Cardiff Blues winning in Paris, it is a topsy-turvy group."
Irish visit Cardiff on Friday knowing that defeat will leave them to concentrate on qualifying for next season's Heineken Cup. "We will back ourselves there," said their Scottish threequarter, Joe Ansbro. "We did not play well against Edinburgh, but we should have won."
Edinburgh, for once, can dream and they face a Racing Métro side who may, after losing first time out, decide that the Top 14 is the priority. "They will be dangerous because they have to win," said the Edinburgh coach, Michael Bradley, who said he would review Hape's challenge on David Denton in the first half that left the flanker dazed and needing to be replaced by Cox, "but this dug-out win could make our season.
London Irish Homer; Ansbro, Shingler, Hape, Thompstone; Bowden (capt), Samson (Hodgson, 66); Corbisiero (Lahiff, 53), Buckland (Blaney, 69), Ion (Rautenbach, 53), Kennedy, Garvey (Sandford, 69), Evans, Gibson (Thorpe, 69), Sinclair.
Try Samson Con Homer Pens Homer 4.
Edinburgh Thompson; Jones, De Luca, Scott, Visser; Leonard, Blair (Laidlaw, 46); Jacobsen, Ford (capt), Cross, Lozada, Gilchrist, Denton (Cox, 27), Rennie (Grant, 46), McInally.
Tries Jones, McInally Cons Leonard, Laidlaw Pens Leonard, Laidlaw.
Referee R Poite (France) Attendance 6,712.
