Kyle Traynor stays on to win league with Edinburgh

KYLE Traynor insists Edinburgh's ability to win Magners League silverware played a big part in him following a positive trend in the capital and putting pen to paper on a new contract.

The prop, who only turned 24 on Saturday, was named Edinburgh's 'Newcomer of the Year' by supporters last season after moving north from London to Watsonians and pushing through the Scotland 'A' honours in his first season with Edinburgh. He has pushed further this year with 17 Edinburgh appearances and three full Test caps for Scotland in the autumn, but, currently out of the Scotland picture, he said yesterday the most pressing issue for him is success with Edinburgh.

Edinburgh are currently in fifth place just four points behind leaders Ospreys, though with a game more played, but victory at Murrayfield on Sunday against an Ospreys team missing a clutch of key figures would help propel them back into the running for top four and play-off spots.

Traynor said: "It would be great to win the Magners League with Edinburgh and I fully believe we've got a squad capable of doing it. I played a lot during the closing stages of last season when we managed to finish second in the league and now I want to help Edinburgh improve on that.

"If we can keep the squad together for a while and keep progressing then we expect to experience an exciting few years."

Coach Rob Moffat has been busy over the last couple of months trying to nail down the core of his squad whose contracts were up this summer. So far, he has secured captain Mike Blair, Allan Jacobsen, Chris Paterson, Greig Laidlaw, Steve Turnbull and Jim Thompson.

Meanwhile, one internationalist back in the frame is Simon Webster, who returns to Edinburgh's starting line-up on Sunday for the first time this season after being dogged by a hamstring injury. He has twice come off the bench and started for Scotland 'A' in Italy last week, though he will be keen to put that disappointing defeat behind him.

Mike Blair also renews his partnership with brother David at half-back for the first time in 28 months while Ross Rennie and Steve Turnbull also return, but Scotland stand-off Phil Godman starts on the bench.

Moffat said: "We realise Sunday's match is going to be really tough; Ospreys are top of the table because they have been consistently good. But league positions can change very quickly and it is important that we make the most of our home advantage to put ourselves back in the play-off spots."

The game is also a special one for hooker Andrew Kelly, who will record his 100th Magners League appearance for Edinburgh.

Edinburgh (v Ospreys at Murrayfield on Sunday, 2pm, live on S4C): B Cairns; M Robertson, N De Luca, J Houston, S Webster; D Blair, M Blair (capt); K Traynor, A Kelly, G Cross, S MacLeod, S Turnbull, A MacDonald, R Rennie, R Grant. Subs: A Crombie, R Grant, C Hamilton, D Callam, G Laidlaw, P Godman, T Visser.