Scotland winger Darcy Graham is set to return to action tomorrow after eight months out in what will be a huge boost for both club and country.
The 27-year-old has been selected to start for Edinburgh in a pre-season friendly with Gloucester at the Hive Stadium on Friday evening.
His last match was in January against the same opponent in the same stadium in a Challenge Cup defeat. The Scotland international was forced to miss out on the 2024 Six Nations, the national team’s summer tour and much of last season’s domestic fixtures due to injury.
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Head Coach Sean Everitt has chosen a different side to play each half of the only friendly ahead of next week’s United Rugby Championship opener against Leinster on September 20. Everitt said: “This is a good opportunity for us to see our players in a game day situation, having put in a huge amount of work during the off-season.
“There are two 15s, however we don’t view it as a first or second team, more is as a chance to see different combinations around the park, and see what we’ve worked on in pre-season in action.”
Stand-off Ross Thompson, one of five summer signing selected to feature, is set to make his first appearance since his Edinburgh homecoming.
Graham will make his long-awaited return from injury on the wing as part of the first half side, alongside international teammate Duhan van der Merwe with Wes Goosen at full-back.
Edinburgh Rugby team to face Gloucester Rugby in the Scottish Building Society Pre-Season match at Hive Stadium (Friday 13 September, kick-off 7.30pm)
15. Wes Goosen
14. Darcy Graham
13. Mosese Tuipulotu
12. Matt Scott
11. Duhan van der Merwe
10. Ross Thompson
9. Ben Vellacott
1. Pierre Schoeman
2. Ewan Ashman
3. Paul Hill
4. Marshall Sykes
5. Grant Gilchrist
6. Jamie Ritchie
7. Hamish Watson
8. Magnus Bradbury
Second half XV
15. Emiliano Boffelli
14. Ross McCann
13. Mark Bennett
12. Matt Currie
11. Lewis Wells
10. Ben Healy
9. Ali Price
1. Boan Venter
2. Dave Cherry
3. D’Arcy Rae
4. Rob Carmichael
5. Jamie Hodgson
6. Tom Dodd
7. Connor Boyle
8. Ben Muncaster
Not available: Luke Crosbie, Nathan Sweeney, James Lang, Glen Young, Sam Skinner, Angus Williams, Robin Hislop, Harry Paterson, Javan Sebastian.
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