There is some extra spice to this weekend’s sell out RBS 6 Nations clash as Edinburgh Rugby and Toulouse look to their highly anticipated Heineken Cup quarter-final at Murrayfield.
The two clubs dominate the national team selections for this weekend with Toulouse contributing six starting players to Edinburgh Rugby’s eight, meaning a unique opportunity for opponents to size each other up on the international stage.
Such prominence in selection throws up a number of head-to-head battles that fans can look forward to seeing return to Murrayfield in six week’s time in Europe’s elite club rugby competition (Saturday 7 April, kick-off 3pm).
Up front, Edinburgh and Scotland back-rows Ross Rennie and David Denton (8) will face Toulouse and France captain Thierry Dusautoir and Louis Picamoles.
The Murrayfield club’s all-intentional front-row of Allan Jacobsen, Ross Ford and Geoff Cross will pack down against Baptiste Poux, while Yoann Maestri will sit just behind at lock.
Mike Blair and Greig Laidlaw kick-off the game as the starting half-backs alongside the recently resigned Lee Jones (wing) and will face Maxime Medard (full-back) and the Heineken Cup record try scoring winger Vincent Clerc.
Edinburgh Rugby chief executive Craig Docherty said: “The levels of excitement surrounding the Heineken Cup quarter-final are unprecedented for a club rugby match in Scotland and the match-ups this weekend will make for very interesting viewing for a number of supporters on both sides of channel.”
There’s unfinished business for Edinburgh as it was Toulouse who knocked them out of the competition, in their only other appearance in the quarter finals, back in 2004.
Five of the 16 players squad players playing in Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations clash this Sunday featured eight years ago: Blair, Jacobsen, Clerc, Poux and replacement hooker William Servat.
This time around though it’s Edinburgh who topped their pool, the first Scottish club to do so, securing home advantage in the process.
The club's half-price ticket offer for the Heineken Cup quarter-final v Toulouse ends on Wednesday 29 February: until then fans can buy tickets for just £15 (adults), £10 (OAP) and £5 (students and U18s).
After the deadline adult prices will go up to £25 until the day before the match when they will rise one final time to £30. OAP tickets prices will increase to £12.50 and £15 respectively. Student tickets will go up to £10 while U18 prices will remain at £5 throughout.
All seating is reserved so supporters can log on now and pick their place in history using the new interactive stadium plan!
The club's half-price ticket offer for the Heineken Cup quarter-final v Toulouse ends on Wednesday 29 February!
>> Click here for £99 (+VAT) hospitality
SCOTLAND TEAM: 15 Stuart Hogg; 14 Lee Jones, 13 Sean Lamont, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Rory Lamont; 10 Greig Laidlaw, 9 Mike Blair; 1 Allan Jacobsen, 2 Ross Ford CAPTAIN, 3 Geoff Cross, 4 Richie Gray, 5 Jim Hamilton, 6 John Barclay, 7 Ross Rennie, 8 David Denton
SUBSTITUTES: 16 Scott Lawson, 17 Ed Kalman, 18 Alastair Kellock, 19 Richie Vernon, 20 Chris Cusiter, 21 Duncan Weir, 22 Nick De Luca
FRANCE TEAM: 15 Maxime Médard; 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Aurélien Rougerie, 12 Wesley Fofana, 11 Julien Malzieu; 10 François Trinh-Duc, 9 Morgan Parra; 1 Jean-Baptiste Poux, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 3 Nicolas Mas, 4 Pascal Papé, 5 Yoan Maestri, 6 Thierry Dusautoir CAPTAIN, 7 Louis Picamoles, 8 Imanol Harinordoquy
SUBSTITUTES: 16 William Servat, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Lionel Nallet, 19 Julien Bonnaire, 20 Julian Dupuy, 21 Lionel Beauxis, 22 Maxime Mermoz
