Edinburgh v Zebre: Tom Brown in for Jack Cuthbert

EDINBURGH head coach Alan Solomons has made just one enforced change to the last week’s starting XV for the visit of Zebre on Guinness PRO12 duty at BT Murrayfield on Friday night.

Tom Brown in action for Edinburgh Rugby. Picture: SNS

After last week’s historic win over Dragons, which saw Edinburgh into the first ever European Cup final featuring a Scottish side, Tom Brown moves up from the bench to full-back, in place of Jack Cuthbert who is carrying an injury from last week’s victory. Two of the try scorers in that 45-16 win, Dougie Fife and Tim Visser, retain their places on the wing along with the centre partnership of Sam Beard and Andries Strauss, at outside and inside centre respectively.

There is no change in the halfback pairing with Phil Burleigh at stand-off and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, who racked up 25 points last Friday, at scrum half.

The pack is also unchanged since last weekend with Alasdair Dickinson at loosehead, W P Nel at tighthead and Ross Ford at hooker. Anton Bresler and man-of-the-match Ben Toolis maintain their partnership at lock with Roddy Grant at openside and Stuart McInally at blindside.

Coming on to the bench to cover Brown’s move into the starting XV is full back/stand-off Carl Bezuidenhout and retaining his place in the substitutes is scrum half Nathan Fowles, recently announced as signing for the club on a one-year deal.

Head coach Alan Solomons said: “Last Friday was fantastic but it lies in the past and we are now moving forward on Zebre.

“Every game for us is vital and we need to perform accordingly.”

Edinburgh team v Zebre, Friday 24 April, BT Murrayfield, k/o 7.35pm: 15 Tom Brown, 14 Dougie Fife, 13 Sam Beard, 12 Andries Strauss, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Phil Burleigh, 9 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne; 1 Alasdair Dickinson, 2 Ross Ford, 3 WP Nel, 4 Anton Bresler, 5 Ben Toolis, 6 Stuart McInally, 7 Roddy Grant, 8 Mike Coman (captain). Substitutes: 16 Neil Cochrane, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 John Andress, 19 Fraser McKenzie, 20 Cornell Du Preez, 21 Nathan Fowles, 22 Tom Heathcote, 23 Carl Bezuidenhout.