Stand-off Ross Thompson is handed the captain’s armband for Edinburgh Rugby’s pre-season opener against Ulster, with a youthful squad set to gain valuable minutes in Belfast tomorrow evening (Friday 12 September, kick-off 7.35pm).
Head Coach Sean Everitt named an extended squad of 28 for the trip to Affidea Stadium, featuring a significant focus on youth. Seventeen players are aged 23 or under, with nine current academy players and five first-year professionals included. Most players are expected to play a half each in the friendly, which will be streamed live on ulster.rugby.
On the selection, Everitt said: “We’re excited to get into matches after a lot of work on the training pitch. It has been a productive pre-season, and we’re looking forward to seeing some of the work in action on Friday night.
“A lot of the younger guys have worked hard in the last few weeks and shown that they deserve a run-out for the senior side. There’s a lot of potential, so we’re looking forward to seeing what they can do in Belfast.”
New signings James Whitcombe and Rhys Litterick both start in the front row at loosehead and tighthead respectively, alongside 21-year-old academy hooker Jerry Blyth-Lafferty.
Glen Young is joined in the second-row by academy youngster Christian Lindsay, with the 18-year-old set for his first senior involvement with the capital club having come through the ranks at Loretto School.
In the back-row, Everitt opts to start with the youthful trio of Ollie Duncan (blindside flanker), Freddy Douglas (openside), and Tom Currie (number eight) – all aged 20 – with the back-row unit having all featured together for Scotland U20.
Thompson is partnered at half-back by academy scrum-half Hector Patterson, 20, who starts after an impressive set of displays at the World Rugby U20 Championship earlier this summer.
The midfield is made up of academy inside-centre Findlay Thomson, 21 – who made his professional debut against Connacht last May – and GB Sevens’ Matt Davidson who starts at 13.
Davidson has been in training with the squad throughout the GB Sevens off-season, with the former Heriot’s man available for selection during this period.
In the back-three, Jack Brown, 20, starts at full-back, alongside wingers Lewis Wells and Ross McCann.
Everitt can call on a handful of senior players in the second half, including Magnus Bradbury, Sam Skinner and Hamish Watson, who could feature alongside new signings Charlie McCaig and Malelili Satala.
Edinburgh Rugby side to face Ulster Rugby at Affidea Stadium Friday 12 September, kick-off 7.35pm – streamed live at ulster.rugby
15. Jack Brown*
14. Lewis Wells*
13. Matt Davidson
12. Findlay Thomson*
11. Ross McCann
10. Ross Thompson CAPTAIN
9. Hector Patterson*
1. James Whitcombe
2. Jerry Blyth-Lafferty*
3. Rhys Litterick
4. Christian Lindsay*
5. Glen Young
6. Ollie Duncan*
7. Freddy Douglas
8. Tom Currie
Replacements
Mikey Jones
Harri Morris
Angus Williams
Euan McVie*
Sam Skinner
Liam McConnell
Hamish Watson
Magnus Bradbury
Conor McAlpine
Cammy Scott
Ross McKnight*
Charlie McCaig
Malelili Satala
*Denotes academy player
Natural Gold
At no other time was the unluckiness of the Nelson so dreaded as during a match between Australia and South Africa. The time was 11:11 and South Africa needed 111 runs to beat Australia. The date was November 11, 2011. The umpire and most of the crowd performed the David Shepherd leg raise for a minute as the scoreboard read: 11:11, 11/11/11. South Africa bested Australia by 8 wickets.
Snow Cream
The first rugby sevens tournament was held in 1883 in Melrose, Scotland. The shorter, faster version of rugby was created to raise funds for the local club and has since grown into an international sport, making its Olympic debut in 2016.