1872 Cup: Why Edinburgh's returning Scotland trio will start on the bench against Glasgow

Edinburgh coach Mike Blair expects a significant impact off the bench from the three players who have been released back to him from the Scotland squad, but he remains convinced he has done the right thing by not putting them in his starting line-up for tonight’s 1872 Cup match against Glasgow.

Scrum-half Ben Vellacott, second-row forward Jamie Hodgson and back-row forward Magnus Bradbury have all been cleared to play in the game at Scotstoun by national coach Gregor Townsend. However, Blair thinks it only right to show faith with the players who began Edinburgh’s most recent outing - the 56-8 home win over Connacht a fortnight ago - as well as finding it more convenient to select his starting 15 from the group who have been able to train together since the start of the week.

“We want to reward the guys who played well against Connacht and were part of that win,” he explained after announcing his team for the first derby of the season. “We thought the right thing to do was to keep the guys that we had, who had trained on Sunday and Monday, and then have the added bonus of these guys coming off the bench and making an impact. We’re delighted to have those three back in.”

Another reason for not starting any of the trio is the continuing possibility that they may be needed in Dublin today should Scotland have any late injury concerns. Blair expects two of the three to travel as 24th and 25th men - presumably Vellacott and one of the forwards - and if they are called upon it would clearly be preferable from a Scotland point of view for them to have limited game time tonight. All the same, Bradbury in particular could be a valuable member of the Edinburgh squad in the build-up to kick-off, given his own substantial experience of the derby and the fact that several of his team-mates will be taking part in it for the first time.

Edinburgh head coach Mike Blair has selected his three returning Scotland players on the bench for the 1872 Cup clash with Glasgow at Scotstoun on Friday night. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)

“We’ve talked about the 1872 Cup, we’ve talked about the history, and we’ve seen some footage from the history about what these games can be like,” Blair said when asked how he had prepared newcomers such as Emiliano Boffelli and Henry Immelman for their debuts in what is often a frenzied fixture. “And we’ve talked about the emotion involved, but we’ve also talked about being cool under pressure and being able to enjoy the moment and it being something to help inspire us. The focus has been on our own game and what we believe we can do in attack and defence.”

Another factor that Blair believes can inspire his players is the noisy Scotstoun crowd. “I think Glasgow have got a brilliant support,” he said. “So there’s no doubt they’re going to be part of the challenge for us, but I also believe that crowds can help inspire players as well, and for that reason the guys are looking forward to getting stuck in and playing Glasgow.”

The coach’s desire for continuity is reflected in a starting line-up that shows only three changes from the Connacht game. Matt Currie is in the centre instead of James Lang, who is ill, Jaco van der Walt stands in at stand-off for Blair Kinghorn, who is away with Scotland, and Harrison Courtney takes over from Boan Venter in the front row.

Edinburgh (v Glasgow at Scotstoun, tonight [Fri]: H Immelman; R Moyano, M Currie, C Dean, E Boffelli; J van der Walt, H Pyrgos (captain); H Courtney, D Cherry, A Williams, P Phillips, G Young, B Muncaster, C Boyle, M Kunavula. Substitutes: A McBurney, B Venter, L de Bruin, J Hodgson, M Bradbury, B Vellacott, C Savala, C Hutchison.

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