Edinburgh have named five debutants in their starting line-up for their United Rugby Championship match against the Dragons this afternoon, with much of the attention focusing on how Scotland pair Ben Healy and Javan Sebastian will fare.
Stand-off Healy and tighthead prop Sebastian both featured in the national team’s 84-0 win over Romania, and Edinburgh assistant coach Stevie Lawrie is confident they will become valuable members of the capital club’s playing group.
“They are good additions for the squad and I’m excited to see how they go,” Lawrie said. “Ben has shown his experience in that pivot role, and he’s really keen to be a game-driver. I think the skill set that he brings in terms of how he controls the game will hopefully stand us in good stead.
“Javan knows that tight-heads get judged on scrummaging. So he’s been told in no uncertain terms that he’s there to scrummage as well as he can – and he’s trained that way.”
The other new boys in the starting 15 are Team GB 7s player Ross McCann and back-row forwards Tom Dodd and Cameron Neild. McCann’s GB team-mate and fellow-winger Jordan Edmunds begins the match in Rodney Parade on the bench, but should see action at some point to make it a round half-dozen debutants.
In addition to Healy and Sebastian, three other Scotland squad members are in the 23 for the trip to Newport: Dave Cherry at hooker, Sam Skinner in the back row and Luke Crosbie on the bench.
Cherry’s World Cup came to an unexpectedly early end when he was concussed by a fall in the team hotel, but Lawrie believes he has recovered well from the blow mentally as well as physically. “Dave has worked hard. He’s trained with a smile on his face and he’s fully fit and ready to go. He’s in a good spot.”
The match in Newport will be senior coach Sean Everitt’s first competitive match in charge, and Lawrie says the South African has made a big impact on the squad since taking over in July. “Sean has come in and has stamped his authority on the group pretty quickly. He’s been excellent. He’s brought lots of knowledge and a really good understanding of how to run the organisation in a hard-working way.”
Edinburgh (v Dragons at Rodney Parade, today [Sat] 3.05pm): C Scott, R McCann, M Bennett, M Currie, W Goosen, B Healy, B Vellacott (captain), B Venter, D Cherry, J Sebastian, G Young, J Hodgson, S Skinner, C Neild, T Dodd. Replacements: A McBurney, R Hislop, A Williams, M Sykes, L Crosbie, C Shiel, C Dean, J Edmunds.
