**The return of European rugby provides a golden opportunity for Edinburgh to put the past behind them and exact some revenge.** Having topped Conference B, Richard Cockerill’s side suffered a devastating, last-gasp defeat to Ulster in the Guinness PRO14 Semi-Finals as the Irish province produced a come-from-behind victory to deny the Scots a place in their first Grand Final. Now a shot at redemption is presented in the form of the Challenge Cup quarter-finals and a trip to Stade Chaban-Delmas on Saturday lunchtime to face Bordeaux-Begles, a team who finished above them in Pool 3 in this year’s group stage. Throw in the fact that Edinburgh have exited Europe at the quarter-final stage in each of the past three seasons – twice in the Challenge Cup and once in the Heineken Champions Cup – and they’ll be desperate to end that run. # The Story So Far Bordeaux and Edinburgh both emerged from a tough Pool 3 in the Challenge Cup that also featured Wasps and Agen. The French outfit topped the pile with five wins and a draw for 26 points, while Edinburgh were the best runners-up after notching four victories, one draw and a lone defeat. Cockerill’s troops opened up back in November with a comfortable 31-10 triumph away to Agen – hooker Cameron Fenton’s last-gasp try sealing an all-important bonus point after a George Taylor double and Damien Hoyland’s solo score. A hard-fought 16-16 draw with Bordeaux at BT Murrayfield followed in Round 2 before Wasps were put to the sword on home soil 31-20 with a pair of tries from the relentless Duhan van der Merwe causing the damage. A low-scoring 9-7 grind at the Ricoh Arena against Wasps kept Edinburgh on track for the knockouts and although a 32-17 away defeat to Bordeaux dented confidence, they finished with a 36-0 tonking of Agen to seal a spot in the last-eight – with Darcy Graham crossing for a remarkable four tries.
