Edinburgh head coach Rob Moffat has challenged his players to start as they mean to go on by producing a match-winning performance in the first Murrayfield fixture of the new campaign.
Speaking as he named a 31-man squad for the pre-season game against London Irish on Friday (kick-off 7.30pm), Moffat called on his troops to build on the encouraging parts of last week’s encounter against Bath, a match that saw a host of new faces make their bow in an Edinburgh shirt.
Esteban Lozada and Stuart McInally, two further summer arrivals, are in line to make their first appearances when Irish visit this weekend, while a number of familiar figures will reintroduce themselves to the Murrayfield crowd.
Wing Mark Robertson, stand-off Phil Godman and flankers Alan MacDonald and Ross Rennie have all been included in the squad for an outing that will see Moffat give game-time to as many players as possible while seeking the sort of display that will send the team into the Magners League opener at Cardiff Blues (Saturday 4 September, kick-off 6.30pm) in a positive frame of mind.
The head coach said: “We’ve named a fairly large squad for this game with the aim of giving guys a run out and making sure we begin on a positive note in front of our own fans.
"We’ve had a good look at what London Irish have been doing in their other pre-season matches, and there’s no doubt they will present a strong challenge, with the style of game that they play and the quality of individual they have.
“Our game will have to be better than it was at Bath last week, but I’d expect a lot of little things to be sharper just by dint of the fact that the guys now have some rugby behind them.
"It will be good for Esteban and Stuart to get a run-out, and it’s also really pleasing to be able to welcome back guys like Mark, Phil, Alan and Ross, each of whom has showed for a number of years now how much they have to offer.”
Friday’s game will be the Edinburgh crowd’s first chance to hail Chris Paterson and Tim Visser after the pair came away with prizes at the inaugural Magners League Awards ceremony in Cardiff on Monday night.
Paterson won the Gilbert Golden Boot for recording a league-best kicking percentage of 88.89% in season 2009/10, while Visser was named Young Player of the Season for a riproaring debut campaign that saw him top the Magners League scoring charts with 10 tries and earn inclusion in the Magners League Dream Team.
EDINBURGH SQUAD FOR PRE-SEASON GAME AGAINST LONDON IRISH AT MURRAYFIELD, FRIDAY 27 AUGUST, KICK-OFF 7.30PM
BACKS: Chris Paterson, Mark Robertson, Tim Visser, Andrew Turnbull, Lee Jones, Tom Brown, Ben Cairns, Alex Grove, John Houston, James King, Phil Godman, Mike Blair, Greig Laidlaw, David Blair, Alex Blair.
FORWARDS: Allan Jacobsen, Ross Ford, Geoff Cross, Kyle Traynor, Andrew Kelly, Jack Gilding, Esteban Lozada, Craig Hamilton, Steven Turnbull, Fraser McKenzie, Roddy Grant, Alan MacDonald, Scott Newlands, Ross Rennie, Stuart McInally, Netani Talei.
Tickets for the London Irish match, priced £10 for adults and £5 for under-18s and concessions, are available by CLICKING HERE, by calling 0131 346 5180, or by calling in person at the Murrayfield Ticket Centre.
YOUR CITY, YOUR TEAM, YOUR FRIDAY NIGHT. JOIN EDINBURGH’S HEROES AS THEY TAKE ON THE CREAM OF EUROPEAN RUGBY IN THE MAGNERS LEAGUE AND HEINEKEN CUP. ALL OUR PRE-CHRISTMAS HOME LEAGUE GAMES TAKE PLACE AT THE SAME TIME IN THE SAME PLACE: MURRAYFIELD STADIUM, FRIDAY NIGHT, 7.05PM. TO BUY YOUR SEASON TICKET, FROM AS LITTLE AS £30, CLICK HERE OR CALL 0131 346 5180.
