Preview: Edinburgh v Cardiff Blues
Edinburgh will aim to exploit home comforts when they return to Murrayfield for the first time in six weeks to face Cardiff Blues on Friday.
After three tough away Magners League games in the space of 12 days, Edinburgh aim to exploit home comforts to the full when they return to Murrayfield for the first time in six weeks to face Cardiff Blues on Friday.
The match is interim head coach Nick Scrivener's first in front of the capital crowd, who will share his determination to gain revenge for the 21-14 defeat sustained against the same opposition in Edinburgh's last home fixture on January 22.
Scrivener has made five changes to his team for a game he describes as a “vital opportunity to lay a marker for the rest of the season.”
Up front, Edinburgh welcome back tighthead prop Geoff Cross, who came off the bench to win his third Scotland cap in the Six Nations match against Ireland last Sunday.
Esteban Lozada will line up in the second row alongside Steven Turnbull, while David Denton makes a first Magners League start for the club at blindside flanker.
With Alan MacDonald and Roddy Grant both ruled out of this game through injury, Struan Dewar gets an Edinburgh debut at openside.
In the backs, Simon Webster will make his first tournament start of the season on the wing.
Meanwhile, Cardiff Blues backs Casey Laulala and Leigh Halfpenny both return from injury to face Edinburgh.
Laulala has recovered from a hamstring injury suffered against Harlequins in early February while Halfpenny has recovered from an ankle injury and will make his first start for the Blues since January.
In the backs, the Blues also welcome back Chris Czekaj from the Wales squad along with John Yapp and Scott Andrews in the front row. Michael Paterson has also recovered from a foot injury to take a place on the bench.
Cardiff Blues travel to Edinburgh aware that the loss last weekend to Ulster dropped them three places down the table.
The Blues' four-game winning run in the Magners League ended at Ulster on Friday and they will be keen not to slip up again as they are now in fifth place, one point off the play-off zone but with a game in hand over the four teams above them.
Form: Edinburgh have now lost six successive matches in all competitions since their 28-17 victory over Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield on 2 January. Edinburgh have lost their last eight encounters with Welsh opponents in all tournaments. Cardiff Blues four-game winning run in the Magners League ended at Ulster last Friday night. The Blues have won their last six matches against adversaries from Scotland since January 2010. The two sides have already met on three separate occasions this season with the Blues victorious each time.
The teams:
Edinburgh: 15 Jim Thompson, 14 Simon Webster, 13 Ben Cairns, 12 James King, 11 Tim Visser, 10 David Blair, 9 Greig Laidlaw (c), 7 Struan Dewar, 8 Netani Talei, 6 David Denton, 5 Steven Turnbull, 4 Esteban Lozada, 3 Geoff Cross, 2 Andrew Kelly, 1 Lewis Niven
Replacements: 16 Alun Walker, 17 Kyle Traynor, 18 David Young, 19 Scott MacLeod, 20 Scott Newlands, 21 Ross Samson, 22 Tom Brown, 23 Andrew Turnbull.
Cardiff Blues: 15 Chris Czekaj, 14 Leigh Halfpenny, 13 Casey Laulala, 12 Dafydd Hewitt, 11 Richard Mustoe, 10 Ceri Sweeney, 9 Tom Slater, 8 Xavier Rush, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Maama Molitika, 5 Paul Tito (c), 4 Deiniol Jones, 3 Scott Andrews, 2 T Rhys Thomas, 1 John Yapp
Replacements: 16 Gareth Williams, 17 Sam Hobbs, 18 Fau Filise, 19 Michael Paterson, 20 Andries Pretorius, 21 Tom Rowlands, 22 Gareth Davies, 23 Gavin Evans.
Referee: David Wilkinson (Ireland)