Before Saturday night’s match in Galway the United Rugby Championship’s super-computer gave Edinburgh only a 19 per cent chance of making the play-offs and predicted Connacht would win the game by a single point. As it turned out, the visitors prevailed 31-21 and picked up a bonus point into the bargain thanks to Charlie Shiel’s stunning late try, their fourth on an evening that must have shredded the nerves of the Edinburgh coaching staff. The capital side remain outside the top eight but know that if they can produce another bonus-point victory in their final league match at home to Ulster on Friday then the odds on their making the play-offs will be cut drastically. As Shiel said later, they’ve kept their season alive. It was an away victory to savour for Sean Everitt and his squad who scored first-half tries through Pierre Schoeman and Hamish Watson but had to show character and composure as they saw their 14-0 half-time lead wiped out by two converted scores from Connacht winger Finn Treacy. Ben Muncaster’s try midway through the second half put them 21-14 ahead but the hosts drew level again through Shayne Bolton. There were only seven minutes remaining when Shiel shaped to kick then streaked away from deep in his own half for a solo try his team-mate Ross Thompson later described as “a worldy”. The replacement scrum-half showed speed of thought as well as fleet of foot to catch Connacht on their heels. “We’d spoken all week about keeping our season alive,” said Shiel. “I feel like we’ve always had in our DNA - and it’s been growing throughout the season - that ability to see big spaces from everywhere and attack them. “Coming on as a nine, you always need to be sharp and aware. So that is one thing I’ll always look out for as a nine, those little gaps around the breakdown. It’s bread and butter, really.” The match-winner was being unduly modest because this was a special try by a player who graduated from Edinburgh’s academy in 2018. He has a long association with the club and believes they are showing more grit now as they bid to make the URC play-offs for the first time since 2022. “I feel like we’ve been hard done by in the past,” said Shiel. “The ‘soft underbelly of Edinburgh’ has been spoken about a little bit. But at the start of the year, Sean and us as a playing group challenged each other as to how much do you want to play for each other, but also the community of Edinburgh. “I think we’re starting to see that fight for each other and for the club and for the city of Edinburgh in every game now. It’s second nature almost, coming into these next few games as well.” There are three play-off spots remaining and five clubs chasing them with Edinburgh likely to require maximum points against Ulster on Friday and favourable results elsewhere to ensure they finish in the top eight. Ulster are now out of the running as Benetton, Munster, Cardiff and the Scarlets vie with Edinburgh. “We’ve had a mindset of going into every game this season that we can definitely test teams,” said Shiel. “Ulster are definitely one of those teams that have challenged us, but at the minute we’re going into every game believing that we can win.”