Head coach Rob Moffat has made three changes to Edinburgh’s starting line-up for the opening leg of the Greaves Sports 1872 Cup on Sunday (27 December, kick off 3.05pm, live on STV) against Glasgow Warriors at Firhill and predicts a memorable Magners League match.
After defeating Bath at Murrayfield last week in the Heineken Cup, Moffat has chosen to retain the same back division with Chris Paterson captaining the side in the absence of the injured Mike Blair (ankle).
But Moffat has reintroduced Scotland internationalists Allan Jacobsen and Scott MacLeod into Edinburgh’s front-five while young openside Roddy Grant reclaims his place in the pack.
Jacobsen, 31, featured in the last Edinburgh team to record an away win over Glasgow – a 25-16 victory back in 2003.
MacLeod was left out of last week’s starting line-up in order to overcome a slight back injury.
As a result, Moffat believes Edinburgh’s second row department is stronger than ever; supplemented by the news that long-term injury casualty Jim Hamilton (knee) could return for the second leg at Murrayfield.
Moffat said: “Scott MacLeod was rested last week in order to help to him to recover from a slight injury, but Craig Hamilton came in and did well.
“We will soon have four quality second rows challenging for two positions because Jim Hamilton’s return is imminent.”
A stand-out performer during the opening half of his debut professional season, Grant was replaced by Ross Rennie in the line-up that defeated Bath.
But Moffat believes the time off allowed the Botswana-born forward to recharge his batteries and that Grant will come back stronger than ever.
He added: “The situation with Ross Rennie is that – even though he did very well last week – it is important that we manage him carefully.
“He is not going to be able to play every week. The best way to manage him is to manage him carefully.
“Roddy Grant has been outstanding for us and, after being rested for last week’s match against Bath, will come back refreshed for what will be a tough match.”
With Edinburgh narrowly behind current Magners League leaders Glasgow on points difference, Moffat has urged his players to not only win in the West, but to also entertain the nation’s rugby fans.
He said: “We want to win every match and we will go into this one against Glasgow at Firhill with a positive mindset.
“Winning is our main priority, but, in front of what is expected to be a big crowd at Firhill and with lots of TV viewers watching, we want to be able to entertain people as well.
“Glasgow are going well at the moment and they have a proud record at Firhill, so we know just how difficult the match is going to be, but we’ll be ready for the challenge.”
Vice captain Allister Hogg is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a hip injury at Spire Murrayfield Hospital today (23 December) and is expected to be out for a few months.
Stand-off David Blair is still ruled out after injuring his ankle at Bath while club captain Simon Cross is still out with a knee injury along with Andrew Easson (knee), Ryan Grant (ankle) and Simon Webster (hamstring).
Edinburgh Rugby Club team to play Glasgow Warriors in the Magners League at Firhill (Sunday 27 December, kick-off 3.05pm, live on STV)
15 Chris Paterson (captain)
14 John Houston
13 Ben Cairns
12 Nick De Luca
11 Tim Visser
10 Phil Godman
9 Greig Laidlaw
1 Allan Jacobsen
2 Ross Ford
3 Geoff Cross
4 Steve Turnbull
5 Scott MacLeod
6 Alan MacDonald
7 Roddy Grant
8 Scott Newlands
Substitutes: tbc
Edinburgh’s average home crowd for the 2009/2010 season is 4,546.
The average age of Edinburgh’s 36-man squad is just 25.
Chris Paterson has scored 77 Magners League points for Edinburgh so far this season (an average of 12.8 points per game).
There are currently 17 Scotland internationalists in the Edinburgh squad plus 13 Scotland ‘A’ internationalists.
There is only one non-Scottish qualified player, Tim Visser in the Edinburgh squad
Last season Edinburgh recorded their highest ever finish in the Magners League (second) and won their final six matches – an all-time team record.
Last season, Edinburgh attracted crowds of over 12,500 for the 1872 Cup match against Glasgow.
Ticket information
Tickets to Magners League and Heineken Cup games are priced at £15 for adults in advance with an AnyGame voucher (£20 on match days), £10 for concessions (including students) and £5 for under 18s – can be purchased now by calling the Ticket Hotline on 0131 346 5180 or by visiting edinburghrugby.org
Edinburgh’s AnyGame Vouchers have been introduced to encourage supporters to buy early and, to avoid queues, are not for sale or collection on match days.
1872 Cup ticket details
Tickets for both Greaves Sports 1872 Cup derby matches cost £15 for adults, £10 for concessions (students and senior citizens) and £5 for juniors (under-18s). Tickets can be bought in advance via the hotline on 0844 800 3490 (for the Glasgow leg) or on 0131 346 5180 (for the Edinburgh leg); or in person from the Scottish Rugby Ticket Centre (situated off Roseburn Street, open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm).
