Ben Muncaster excelled and Gregor Townsend can't fail to have been impressed

One of the most pleasing aspects of Edinburgh’s highly impressive 38-7 win over the Stormers on Saturday was the performance of Ben Muncaster who played with such energy and commitment that he can’t fail to have impressed the watching Gregor Townsend.

The Scotland head coach will name his squad later this month for the autumn Test series which will see Fiji, South Africa, Portugal and Australia visit Murrayfield.

Muncaster, 23, has long been touted for international honours and was part of the Scotland tour squad in South America in 2022. He played in the A game against Chile in Santiago that summer but was not involved in the Test series in Argentina which followed and remains uncapped.

Injury hampered him for the majority of last season but he is now getting back up to speed and scored two of Edinburgh’s five tries in the bonus-point victory at Hive Stadium. The 6ft 3in Muncaster, usually a No 8, was selected at openside against the Stormers. He said it was his first time he had started in the position but that he felt comfortable playing across the back row.

Edinburgh captain Grant Gilchrist celebrates after the win over the DHL Stormers at Hive Stadium. | SNS Group

“I’ve come off the bench a couple of times at seven,” he said. “I was at seven against the Lions for a wee bit but I’ve never actually started at seven, that was the first time.

“But I absolutely loved it and in terms of the back row nowadays it doesn’t really change that much whether it’s six, seven or eight. I was passing a bit more than jumping but it was completely fine.”

Back row is an area of strength for Scotland and there is no shortage of options but Townsend usually sees the autumn matches as a time when he can experiment to a certain extent which could open the door for Muncaster. The opening game against Fiji takes place before the Test window and the coach will select a team of home-based players only. The match with Portugal, which falls between the marquee games against the Springboks and Wallabies, will provide another opportunity to try new players.

Muncaster reckons he’s not scored two tries in a match since his school days but the North Berwick-born forward’s contribution was key to a much-needed victory for Edinburgh, their first of the season after three successive defeats. It puts them within touching distance of the top eight and goes some way to make amends for last week’s 55-21 mauling by the Lions in Johannesburg.

“Look, three losses in a row - we needed to bounce back and I think we did,” said Muncaster. “Ross Thompson orchestrated us really well and we capitalised on their mistakes.”

Ben Muncaster runs through for his first of two tries for Edinburgh in the 38-7 win over the Stormers. | SNS Group

Thompson was a composed figure at stand-off and was able to unlock the Stormers defence, most notably in setting up Darcy Graham for the third Edinburgh try. Paddy Harrison and Grant Gilchrist also touched down for the home side and both men turned in big performances on an evening when the pressure was on.

Edinburgh host Cardiff this Saturday and, while delighted to beat the Stormers, coach Sean Everitt has called on his team to build on it.

“It’s only one game that we’ve really put in a good performance and we need to put in five or six of them in a row to be able to say that we are where we need to be,” he said. “I know the players know that as well.”