Every coach has to deal with injuries and absences ahead of just about every game, such is the attritional nature of modern rugby.
Even so, Sean Everitt can hardly have bargained for such a lengthy list of unavailable players when he sat down to select his first Edinburgh team since taking charge a couple of months ago.
Fully 25 players have been ruled out of tonight’s friendly at home to Connacht. Fifteen are currently on duty at the Rugby World Cup - Argentina’s Emiliano Boffelli, Viliame Mata of Fiji and 13 Scots. Nine others are out injured. And Ben Vellacott, named earlier this week as the club’s co-captain for the coming season, withdrew yesterday when his partner went into labour.
In the circumstances, it appears little short of miraculous that Everitt has somehow been able to name a squad of 32 for the match at the newly-named Hive Stadium. True, he has had to promote some of Edinburgh’s academy players and call up some players from the Super Series, but many have been working with the senior squad over recent weeks in any case. And, given that the team’s last match was some five months ago, getting back into action in any shape or form has to be the priority.
“We’re excited to see our supporters back at Hive Stadium after such a long summer without matches,” Everitt said yesterday. “It’s been a long pre-season programme for the squad. So as you can imagine there is a lot of excitement and buzz about getting back onto the pitch to face a quality Connacht outfit.
“We are obviously missing a lot of players at the Rugby World Cup. However, that provides an opportunity for younger players who will be eager to make a positive impression.
“Connacht are a bit ahead of us. They’re coming here for their final preparation game and they have had two games already.”
The visitors beat Ulster 35-24 and then lost 24-19 to Munster in their two previous outings. They only have three players away in France with Ireland - backs Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen and prop Finlay Bealham - and will start the game as strong favourites.
Nonetheless, at this stage of proceedings, individual performances are arguably more important than the result for Edinburgh, and Everitt plans to give every member of his squad some game time. “We’re hoping to play two teams in the 80 minutes,” the South African said. “The 40 minutes that we give to both teams - some players will have slightly less - will give us a good picture of what we can do in a game situation.
“It will also help us understand where we are in our pre-season. It’s important that the fans see that this team wants to work really hard and will put a lot of effort into their rugby, and we’ll never be faulted for that.
“The guys have been hard-working and resilient at training, and they’ve been really positive. So it’s been a pleasure in my six weeks here to have been involved with this bunch.”
Former Scotland centre Mark Bennett will captain the home side in Vellacott’s absence as part of a starting back division that also includes Team GB 7s player Ross McCann. Summer signings Tom Dodd and Cameron Neild, meanwhile, will make their debuts in the back row.
An inordinately long replacements bench includes another GB 7s player, the former Boroughmuir winger Jordan Edmunds. The Super Series players who have been drafted in are: props Bobby Bratton (Watsonians) and Craig Miller (Ayrshire Bulls), lock Alfie Scopes (Watsonians) and centre Matt Davidson and full-back Liam Richman (both of Heriot’s).
Edinburgh (v Connacht at Hive Stadium, Friday 7.30pm): N Sweeney; R McCann, M Bennett (captain), M Currie, W Goosen; C Scott, C Shiel; B Venter, A McBurney, A Williams, G Young, J Hodgson, T Dodd, C Boyle, C Neild. Replacements: P Harrison, R Hislop, M Jones, R Bratton, C Miller, E McVie, A Scopes, L McConnell, Freddie Douglas, T Currie, S Steele, C Savala, J Edmunds, C Dean, M Davidson, Finn Douglas, L Richman.
Unavailable: Luan de Bruin (back), Dave Cherry (concussion), Mitch Eadie (calf), Jake Henry (knee), James Lang (calf), Ben Muncaster (knee), Harry Paterson (ankle), Marshall Sykes (hand), Tim Swiel (ankle), Ben Vellacott.
International duty: Ewan Ashman, Javan Sebastian, Pierre Schoeman, WP Nel, Sam Skinner, Grant Gilchrist, Luke Crosbie, Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson, Viliame Mata, Ben Healy, Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe, Emiliano Boffelli.
Connacht: J Porch; S Bolton, T Farrell, C Forde, A Smith; J Hanrahan, C Reilly; D Buckley, D Heffernan, J Aungier, D Murray, J Joyce, S Hurley-Langton, C Oliver (captain), P Boyle. Replacements: D Tierney-Martin, J Duggan, D Robertson-McCoy, O Dowling, N Murray, M McDonald, D Hawkshaw, S O’Brien, B Ralston, L McNamara.
BLOB: Tonight’s Super Series game between Boroughmuir Bears and the Future XV has been postponed because 11 players from the Futures squad have been called up by Glasgow Warriors - who play Zebre tomorrow - and Edinburgh. A new date has yet to be arranged.
