Same again from Edinburgh should be enough to see off much changed Castres in Champions Cup act 2

Mike Blair knows winning at home is all but essential if Edinburgh are to make progress in the Heineken Champions Cup and he is confident that if his team can replicate the level of performance they produced at Saracens last week then they can secure safe passage to the last 16.

WP Nel's inclusion is one of three changes in the Edinburgh side to play Castres. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

They host Castres at the DAM Health Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the second of four pool fixtures they must play as they bid to reach the knockout phase. It is the first-ever Champions Cup match to be played at the ground which became Edinburgh’s new home last season. There had been a contingency plan to move the match to Murrayfield but a slight thaw has meant the DAM’s artificial surface is playable.

That’s good news for Blair and Edinburgh who play their best rugby in the confines of their compact stadium and are likely to need every advantage they can muster against the French Top 14 runners-up. “The speed of the pitch is excellent for what we’re trying to do,” said Blair. “But also the proximity of the crowd to the pitch is something that the players feel.”

Edinburgh were edged out 30-26 in North London last weekend but secured a bonus point and Blair thought it was his side's best defensive display in his time as head coach.

“I believe if we put in a performance like we did against Saracens, we’re going to get more wins than losses,” said Blair. “The home games are definitely important. The old adage of, ‘win your home games and get something away’ is fairly well-known. It’s important for us from a momentum point of view, putting in a good performance but one that ends up being a win.”

Edinburgh were blighted by set-piece issues at Saracens - their scrum in the first half and lineout in the second - but Blair is confident these can be fixed against Castres who have made a whopping 13 changes after losing their Champions Cup opener to Exeter Chiefs.

“We’ve talked a lot about the positives that came from the Sarries game, a lot of it in and around what we call the ‘no talent battles’ - the effort and energy stuff, the desire to hit in the tackle and get off the line,” said Blair. “I think it was the best defensive performance we’ve had from a physical point of view.”

Luan de Bruin, the Edinburgh tighthead prop, was penalised three times at the scrum in quick succession by referee Nika Amashukeli and Blair replaced him with WP Nel after 32 minutes. Nel will start against Castres, with Angus Williams providing tighthead cover on the bench and de Bruin not involved.

Edinburgh head coach Mike Blair has called on Edinburgh to "maintain the standards" they set in last weekend's spirited defeat by Saracens. Photo: Robert Perry/PA Wire.

There were also problems with Edinburgh’s throwing in at the lineout and one overthrow from Stuart McInally led directly to a Saracens try. Blair praised the hooker for his all-round performance and insisted the blame should be shared. “It’s not down to one person,” said the coach. “There are a couple of different things that go into that, and [forwards coach] Stevie Lawrie has worked the guys really hard this week.”

Nel’s inclusion is one of three changes. Glen Young replaces Jamie Hodgson in the second row and Matt Currie comes in at outside centre for Mark Bennett who suffered a head knock.

Edinburgh Rugby v Castres Olympique: Heineken Champions Cup Pool A, DAM Health Stadium, Saturday, 1pm. TV: live on BT Sport.

Edinburgh: 15. Emiliano Boffelli; 14. Wes Goosen, 13. Matt Currie, 12. James Lang, 11. Duhan van der Merwe; 10. Blair Kinghorn, 9. Ben Vellacott; 1. Pierre Schoeman, 2. Stuart McInally, 3. WP Nel, 4. Glen Young, 5. Grant Gilchrist (c), 6. Jamie Ritchie, 7. Luke Crosbie, 8. Viliame Mata.

Replacements: 16. Tom Cruse, 17. Boan Venter, 18. Angus Williams, 19. Marshall Sykes, 20. Ben Muncaster, 21. Charlie Shiel, 22. Charlie Savala, 23. Chris Dean.

Castres: 15. Julien Dumora; 14. Martin Laveau, 13. Antoine Zeghdar, 12. Adrien Seguret, 11. Antoine Bouzerand; 10. Ben Botica, 9. Julien Blanc; 1. Quentin Walcker, 2. Pierre Colonna, 3. Aurélien Azar, 4. Gauthier Maravat, 5. Théo Hannoyer, 6. Baptiste Delaporte (c), 7. Asier Usarraga, 8. Kevin Kornath.

Replacements: 16. Brice Humbert, 17. Loîs Guérois-Galisson, 18. Antoine Guillamon, 19. Florent Vanverberghe, 20. Baptiste Cope, 21. Josaia Raisuqe, 22. Rory Kockott, 23. Thomas Larregain.

Referee: Tom Foley (England).