Scotland head coach Vern Cotter has released just four players from the Scotland Autumn Tests squad back to their pro teams for this weekend’s round of Guinness PRO12 matches as he keeps his cards close to his chest on selection for next week’s opening Viagogo Autumn Test against Argentina.
Chris Fusaro of Glasgow and Edinburgh trio Tom Visser, Dougie Fife and Tom Heathcote are the quartet originally chosen for this week’s training camp in Newcastle who will play for their clubs this weekend.
Late call-ups Peter Horne and San Hialdgo-Clyne have also returned while Allan Bell and Zander Fagerson, who both attented the camp for experience, have also been released for tonight’s games, which sees Glasgow Warriors host Benetton Treviso at Scotstoun and Edinburgh take on Leinster at the RDS in Dublin.
Glasgow’s strength in depth is shown by Gregor Townsend’s team to take on the Italians currently bottom of the PRO12 with just a single point won this season still featuring 12 internationalists including two men very much in Cotter’s long-term plans coming back from long injury lay-offs.
Edinburgh, on the other hand, are cut to the bare bones of a squad, calling up Jack Turley, captain of BT Premiership leaders Heriot’s, to cover their second row crisis with as many as four players set to make their debuts as the club counts 20 injured or unavailable players.
Head coach Alan Solomons has not been inclined to blood his promising developmental players this season so far but now has no choice, starting young blindside Magnus Bradbury and having Jake Kerr, George Turner, and 18-year-old Jamie Ritchie on the bench.
“In all my years of coaching at professional level, I’ve never experienced an injury list like it,” said the veteran South African.
“Eighteen players injured and two (Alasdair Dickinson and Ross Ford) on national duty presents a huge challenge for the team, especially as we are playing last year’s champions at their ground.
“It is an opportunity for many of our young players and will be a chance to see how they measure up at this early point in their careers.”
Edinburgh’s injury situation was already dire before last week’s bruising encounter with Lyon in the European Challenge Cup, which added five further players to the injury list, including this season’s big find Hamish Watson (fractured jaw) and Scotland captain Grant Gilchrist (fractured arm).
David Denton, who came off the bench after a five-month injury lay-off last week, will make his first start of the season coincidentally at the venue where he made his last start before his concussion and hamstring problems.
Solomons does get his premier strike weapons Visser and Fife back from the Scotland squad while Andries Strauss, a late call-off last week against Lyon, will skipper the side from the centre.
Bradbury steps straight from club rugby into his pro debut on the blindside, with Turley called in as Edinburgh were down to one fit lock in Ben Toolis.
There’s a very good chance that Strathallan School and Howe of Fife product Ritchie, signed to a full professional contract in the summer bypassing the developmental process, will also make his debut after being carefully nursed back to health following a pre-season shoulder injury.
Meanwhile over at Scotstoun Glasgow are able to shrug off the absence of 14 players held back by Cotter to field a strong side for the side they thrashed 40-23 in Italy at the beginning of the month.
The Warriors are able to recall British Lion Ryan Grant and Scotland No 8 Ryan Wilson to their pack, both coming back from off-season surgery. Fusaro goes in to open-side with josh Strauss going to blindside in place of Rob Harley, who is held back with Scotland.
Peter Horne, who was with the squad at Newcastle as cover for Alex Dunbar, will make another start at fly-half, as he did to impressive effect in the opening game of the season against Leinster.
Outside him James Downey and Richie Vernon another Scottish international returning from long-term injury re-form the centre partnership that played for Currie in the BT Premiership last week.
Glasgow’s game is one of the few this season not to be televised in any form, but there will be pictures of Edinburgh’s meeting with Leinster on BBC Alba tonight.