Greg Laidlaw

Greig Laidlaw will captain a new-look Edinburgh side for the trip to Magners League champions Munster on Friday evening (19 February, kick off 8pm, live on Setanta Ireland) and head coach Rob Moffat believes the scrum-half has the right skill-set to lead the side to a positive result.

Laidlaw, 24, signed a new two year contract with Edinburgh on Monday and has been rewarded with the captaincy for the trip to Cork to face the tournament title holders.

Moffat says that his elevation to captain was a logical choice and will lead to a seamless transition should replacement Mike Blair be introduced into the action during the game.

Moffat said: “Greig is playing consistently well and I think he is a natural leader.

“At scrum half, he is in a good position to captain the side and, with Mike on the bench, it means if we make the change then there is a straight swap.”

Laidlaw forms a half-back combination with David Blair, who makes his first appearance for Edinburgh since damaging his ankle against Bath in December.

National Academy stand-off Rory Hutton, who made his Edinburgh debut against Cardiff last month, is named amongst the replacements and Moffat says both playmakers have overcome injury problems to be selected.

He added: “Both David and Rory haven’t had the easiest times recently. David hasn’t played for a while, but he has trained for the past couple of weeks and Rory has been recovering from a broken finger.

“So David starts for the first time since he was man-of-the-match against Scarlets with Rory on the bench and we saw what he can do against Cardiff.”

Moffat says he is pleased to be able to field lock Jim Hamilton for the match at Musgrave Park – even though the big forward featured for 70 minutes for Scotland against Wales.

He said: “I think it is right for Jim to play because he hasn’t played a lot of rugby so far this season. We are delighted he is available and I’m sure he will make an impact.

“Another game under his belt will stand Jim in good stead for Scotland when the Six Nations programme restarts.”

Edinburgh’s back three has been reshuffled with Ben Cairns required to occupy the full-back berth with both Jim Thompson (knee) and Chris Paterson (kidney) ruled out.

Moffat says he is excited about the challenge ahead and believes Edinburgh’s journey towards the Grand Final starts in Cork.

He said: “Now with just seven matches remaining before the play-offs, it is imperative that we get as much as we can from every game and we are looking forward to the challenge of facing Munster.

“We know just how strong Munster are – both home and away – so it will be a thorough test for our players and one we will be prepared for.”

Vice captain Allister Hogg is still expected to be out for a few months after undergoing surgery to repair a hip problem at Spire Murrayfield Hospital in December.

Stand off Phil Godman (head knock) and hooker Sean Crombie (ankle) are unavailable for selection.

Both versatile back Thompson and flanker Ross Rennie are recovering from minor knee injuries while Scott Newlands (eye) is also nearing a return to competitive action.

Long term casualty Simon Cross is still out with a knee injury along with Andrew Easson (knee).

Following the opening day 29-8 loss at Cornish Pirates, Gemmell has reshuffled his pack and introduced a new-look back-row containing 26-year-old Callam, who has recently recovered from a long-term hip problem, and Scotland ‘A’ internationalists James Eddie and Calum Forrester.

National Academy players Colin Phillips (prop) and Robert Harley (lock) have been handed starting spots in the front five and Gemmell is aiming to see a more physical showing from his pack.

Gemmell said: “Last week, we didn’t win enough collisions and we are expecting another big, physical battle this week.

“Stuart McInally did well for us last week and he will be involved again. But it is important to get the balance of the back-row right and to bring in somebody with David’s experience is invaluable.

“David brings additional leadership to the squad and he is keen to be involved. He has already demonstrated this during team sessions and he brings that high level of experience to the fore.

“He has already played a couple of times for Boroughmuir since his return from injury, so he has some match fitness under his belt. This is the next step for David in his bid to be fully fit and challenging for a place in the Edinburgh team – which is where he wants to be.”

Gemmell admits some of the alterations to his line-up were forced because of injury, but believes he has selected the right blend of youth and experience for the trip to Sandy Park.

He added: “Some of the changes were made because of injury – Dan Turner, Davie Young, Hefin O’Hare and a couple of others as well.

“Both James Eddie and Calum Forrester played their way into the starting line-up. They performed well, fronted up at Pirates and deserve their opportunity.”

In the backs, Colin Gregor, fresh from featuring for Scotland ‘A’ against Tonga, has been allocated the stand-off berth with David Blair switched across to full-back.

Gemmell explains that the reasoning behind those decisions is that he is trying to make the most of the talent at his disposal.

He said: “It is about getting our best backs on the pitch. We have a situation where we have both Colin Gregor and David Blair and it is a case of trying to utilize both of them on the pitch. They are both interchangeable and we will be looking to do that during the game.”

Gael Force squad to play Exeter Chiefs in the British and Irish Cup at Sandy Park (Saturday 21 November, kick-off 3pm)

• 15 David Blair (Edinburgh)
• 14 Chris Kinloch (Glasgow Warriors)
• 13 Peter Murchie (Glasgow Warriors)
• 12 Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors)
• 11 Tom Bury (National Academy and Boroughmuir).
• 10 Colin Gregor (Glasgow Warriors)
• 9 Peter Jericevich (National Academy and Glasgow Hawks)
• 1 Nicky Little (National Academy and Hawick)
• 2 Fergus Thomson (Glasgow Warriors)
• 3 Colin Phillips (National Academy and Stewart’s Melville)
• 4 Fraser McKenzie (Edinburgh)
• 5 Robert Harley (National Academy and West of Scotland)
• 6 James Eddie (Glasgow Warriors)
• 7 Calum Forrester (Glasgow Warriors)
• 8 David Callam (Edinburgh)

Substitutes: Sean Crombie (Edinburgh), Dougie Orr (National Academy and Haddington), Neale Patrick (National Academy and Boroughmuir), Stuart McInally (National Academy and Watsonians), Ross Samson (Edinburgh), Stevie Wilson (National Academy and Edinburgh Academicals), Ashleah McCulloch (National Academy and Watsonians).

Before he underwent knee surgery, Rennie’s last outing was for Edinburgh against Glasgow in late December and the 23-year-old says he is delighted to return.

Rennie said: “I’m excited to be back playing again and I would like to thank everyone who has helped me to recover from my injury, especially Edinburgh physio Jo Stephen, conditioning coach Bill Knowles and surgeon Andy Williams.”

Gemmell believes Rennie will be an asset to the side and says he is looking forward to the ground-breaking contest.

Gemmell said: “The game has come at the right time for Ross and it is great for us to be able to include a Scotland internationalist in our squad.

“I’m sure the commitment Ross will show when he pulls on the jersey for this team will be the same as he produces for every team he represents.

“It is a clear example of the benefit of being involved in the British and Irish Cup in terms of providing players with opportunities and we are aiming to put down a marker.

“We are all looking forward to it. The two warm-up games have been beneficial. This match will be a step up and it is an away fixture which is never easy.

“But I think the squad we have selected has got a good balance of professionals and up-and-coming Academy players.

“We want to go down and show everybody involved in the competition and rugby supporters everywhere that we have got good players here in Scotland.”

Gemmell has selected a starting line-up with an average age of just 23 and with three National Academy players, prop Nicky Little, back row forward Stuart McInally and centre Stevie Wilson in the starting XV.

Meanwhile, Gemmell has also appointed David Blair as captain and revealed he believes the stand-off is the right man to lead the team in their first ever competitive match.

He added: “I thought it was important that we had some continuity in the team and David has led the side in the first two preparation games.

“At stand-off, he is playing in a pivotal position where he is asked to make a lot of decisions based on how we want to play the game.

“He showed us in the two warm-up matches that he can shoulder that responsibility well and he is somebody we want to run the game for us.

“So it is natural that we want him to captain the team. That continuity helps to build the identity of the team and he has got experience of playing for Scotland ‘A’ and Edinburgh.”

Gael Force will represent Scotland in the competition alongside last season’s Scottish Hydro Premier Division 1 champions Ayr and reigning Scottish Hydro Cup holders Heriot’s in the new cross border competition. Gael Force are sponsored by Spire Murrayfield Hospital, Scottish Rugby’s official healthcare partner.

Gael Force squad to play Cornish Pirates in the British and Irish Cup at Recreation Ground, Camborne (Sunday 22 November, kick-off 2pm)

• 15 Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors)
• 14 Chris Kinloch (Glasgow Warriors)
• 13 Hefin O’Hare (Glasgow Warriors)
• 12 Stevie Wilson (National Academy and Edinburgh Academicals)
• 11 Andrew Turnbull (Edinburgh)
• 10 David Blair (captain, Edinburgh)
• 9 Ross Samson (Edinburgh)
• 1 Nicky Little (National Academy and Hawick)
• 2 Fergus Thomson (Glasgow Warriors)
• 3 David Young (Edinburgh)
• 4 Tim Barker (Glasgow Warriors)
• 5 Dan Turner (Glasgow Warriors)
• 6 Fraser McKenzie (Edinburgh)
• 7 Ross Rennie (Edinburgh)
• 8 Stuart McInally (National Academy and Watsonians)

Substitutes: Sean Crombie (Edinburgh), Colin Phillips (National Academy and Stewart’s Melville), James Eddie (Glasgow Warriors), Callum Forrester (Glasgow Warriors), Peter Jericevich (National Academy and Glasgow Hawks), Ross Aitken (National Academy and Howe and Fife), Tom Bury (National Academy and Boroughmuir).