Edinburgh Rugby name debutants and academy prospects for Ulster as decision made on hooker dilemma

Included in the starting XV for the friendly is the teenage forward Christian Lindsay who will partner Glen Young in the second row. It will be the 18-year-old’s first senior involvement with the capital club having come through the ranks at Loretto School.

Head coach Sean Everitt has named an extended squad of 28, 17 of whom are aged 23 or under, and the plan is to give most players a half each.

“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,” said Everitt. “There’s a lot of potential, so we’re looking forward to seeing what they can do in Belfast.”

Hooker shortage

Everitt has not selected players who played on the summer tours with Scotland and/or the Lions and is using the game as an opportunity to blood some new talent.

Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, the 21-year-old academy hooker and a product of Boroughmuir RFC, will start the game. It is a position in which Edinburgh are short at the moment due to injuries. Dylan Richardson, their new signing from the Sharks in South Africa, is out until early October with a back problem. Paddy Harrison is also sidelined with a back issue and Ewan Ashman is not selected this week due to involvement with both Scotland and the Lions.

With their three Scotland international hookers missing, it is an opportunity for both Blyth-Lafferty and Harris Morris, who is named on the bench. Blyth-Lafferty will start alongside new signings James Whitcombe and Rhys Litterick, picked as props. Loosehead Whitcombe, 24, joined from Leicester Tigers while tighthead Litterick, 26, signed from Cardiff.

The back row is made up of three Scotland Under-20 internationals, Ollie Duncan, Freddy Douglas and Tom Currie, the latter being the younger brother of Edinburgh centre Matt.

Call-up for GB Sevens player

Another Scotland U20 cap, Hector Patterson, is at scrum-half alongside stand-off Ross Thompson who will captain the team.

Academy player Findlay Thomson, 21, who made his professional debut against Connacht last May, is at inside-centre, with the GB Sevens player Matt Davidson at 13.

Davidson has been training with the club during the GB Sevens off-season and the former Heriot’s player is available to play for Edinburgh during this period.

Winger Ross McCann, another with a GB Sevens background, is in the back-three with full-back Jack Brown and wing Lewis Wells.

Edinburgh’s bench has a more seasoned look about it and includes Scotland trio Magnus Bradbury, Sam Skinner and Hamish Watson, as well as new boys Charlie McCaig, a centre signed from Exeter Chiefs, and Malelili Satala, the former Leicester winger.

The game is taking place at Affidea Stadium, the new name for Ravenhill, and will be streamed live on Ulster's website.

Edinburgh Rugby team

(To play Ulster, at Affidea Stadium, Belfast, Friday 12 September, 7.35pm.)

Edinburgh: 15. Jack Brown*; 14. Lewis Wells*, 13. Matt Davidson, 12. Findlay Thomson*, 11. Ross McCann; 10. Ross Thompson (capt), 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