SIMON WEBSTER’S late try helped Edinburgh hold off a second-half fightback from Castres to claim their first Heineken Cup win from four attempts at an empty Murrayfield yesterday.

In a match postponed 24 hours due to snow and ice and played in front of an empty 67,000-seat stadium as a result of conditions in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh took a 14-10 half-time lead after Tim Visser scored a first-half try and set up another for Lee Jones.

But Greig Laidlaw’s sin-binning midway through the second half was followed by a Castres penalty try and another score for Sebastien Tillous-Borde, leaving Edinburgh trailing by five points with four minutes remaining.

But for the second week running Webster came off the replacements’ bench to score a try and this time it was not in vain as David Blair kicked the conversion for the hosts to triumph.

Rodrigo Ortega scored a first-half try for the visitors, for whom Pierre Bernard kicked three points and Seremaia Baikeinuku two conversions.

Edinburgh lost 21-16 in France last weekend, suffering their third defeat from three Heineken Cup games this term, but picking up a third losing bonus point.

And despite yesterday’s victory they still face a difficult task to fall into the Amlin Challenge Cup from a group led by Northampton.

Castres outhalf Bernard kicked a 45-metre penalty after four minutes and Chris Paterson missed a kick from a similar distance two minutes later.

But it did not delay Edinburgh unduly as Visser’s solo score put the hosts in front.

The 6ft 4in, 17st Dutchman picked up the ball inside the 10-metre line, stepped inside and then out of the Castres defence before bursting down the touchline to touchdown. Paterson converted.

Castres responded in the 13th minute with Ortega coming up from the bottom of a rolling maul after the forwards rumbled over. Baikeinuku added the extras.

The usually accurate Paterson missed the second of his first three attempts at goal before Visser, who could qualify for Scotland through residency in 2012, set up a second try for Edinburgh after 22 minutes.

The left winger stormed 40 metres down the opposite flank after ghosting past the Castres defence before a tap tackle denied him a second personal score. However, he popped the ball for Jones to score. Paterson converted from the touchline, handing the hosts a 14-10 half-time lead.

Paterson, who is Scotland’s most-capped player and highest points scorer, went off at the interval with a shoulder injury and Blair assumed the kicking duties, extending Edinburgh’s lead to seven points after 47 minutes.

Laidlaw was sin-binned for not retreating at a free-kick, handing the visitors the initiative.

Castres opted to pack down for the resulting penalty and Edinburgh’s scrum could not withstand the continual pressure.

After three attempts to re-set, referee Wayne Barnes awarded a penalty try and Baikeinuku added the simple conversion to make it 17-17.

Tillous-Borde sniped round the blindside to score but the missed conversion proved costly.

With four minutes left, Webster latched onto a Blair kick-through and capitalised on a Castres mistake to score with Blair adding the winning points with the conversion.

A delighted Edinburgh head coach Rob Moffat said: “For us it was good to win. You could say it was a lucky try at the end, their boy messed it up, but so what? Over four games we deserved that and we worked really hard for it.”

Moffat lamented his side’s problems in the scrum and lineout, but was happy to eke out a morale-boosting win. “They were able to control a lot of periods of the game just because of us not winning our set-piece,” he added. “But I thought the general attitude and workrate of our players was first class and you get your bit of luck at the end.”

EDINBURGH: Paterson, L Jones, Cairns, Houston, Visser, D Blair, Laidlaw, Jacobsen, Ford, G. Cross, S. Turnbull, Hamilton, Newlands, Grant, McInally. Replacements: Thompson for Paterson (40), De Luca for L Jones (55), Webster for Cairns (55), Traynor for Jacobsen (62), Young for G Cross (62), Denton for Hamilton (55), MacDonald for Newlands (55). Not used: Kelly.

CASTRES: Denos, Inigo, Cabannes, Bai, Tatupu, Bernard, Sanchou, Coetzee, Bonello, Peikrishvili, Rolland, Capo, Diarra, Caballero, Masoe. Replacements: Martial for Inigo (55), Tillous-Borde for Sanchou (62), Forestier for Coetzee (62), Kayser for Bonello (52), Saayman for Peikrishvili (52), Kulemin for Capo (62). Not used: Bornman, Malonga.

Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU).