Weegie wrote:Ordainarily I'd agree that this is a fixture where Edinburgh should be playing some youngsters, but I don't think this is a game to start youngsters. Edinburgh need to make certain of points in these early fixtures, and perhaps more importantly, the senior players are still getting used to the Cockerill way. Bring the youngsters in once the senior players have settled into the way Cockerill wants them to play.
I see that point of view, but the younger guys also need a chance to bed into the squad and this on paper is one of the easier games to do it especially off the bench. At some point the internationalists will be away and a few may get thrown in at the deep end.
After this the fixture list is:
Scarlets A
Leinster A
Zebre H
Irish A
Krasny A
Treviso A
Ospreys H (possibly without either sides internationals)
Tour to SA - Definitely without international players
So realistically the two Italian sides at hone over the next month is the easiest environment to give guys game time off the bench in a team that is doing well rather than the likely mass changes for the Krasny game. McCallum could have come in for Marfo quite easily IMO and Carmichael or CHH over MacKenzie would have been fairly straight forward. McCallum especially given he has done the full pre season so will know what Cockers is after better than some.
The tour to SA is going to be hard despite how jamesmatthew they've been and it is very likely that Ford, Dell, Nel and Toolis will be missing and it is probable/possible that McInally and Bresler or Gilchrist will also be on international duty. McCallum, Carmichael/CHH, even Fenton or Renwick will possibly be needed in SA.