Edinburgh Rugby close in on first DAM Health Stadium sell-out but two players out for the season

Edinburgh Rugby are on course for their first sell-out at the DAM Health Stadium and Mike Blair is hoping his side can mark the occasion with a performance which keeps the supporters coming back for more.

Ulster are the visitors on Saturday night for a match which will go a long way to deciding the play-off shakedown in the United Rugby Championship.

With two rounds remaining of the regular season, the Irish side are fifth, two places and two points above Edinburgh. The top eight go into the play-offs but both sides have designs on a top-four finish which would grant them a home quarter-final tie.

Only terracing tickets behind each goal remain and the ground is expected to be filled to its 7,774 capacity.

“I’ve mentioned throughout the season how much the guys enjoy playing here,” said Blair. “The atmosphere that we generate and with the proximity of the fans to the ground it means they can feel all the hits and hear all the communication stuff. And it becomes a real part of the experience as well.

“Hopefully the results on the pitch and the type of rugby we’re trying to play helps keep people coming back too.”

Edinburgh have won nine and drawn one of the ten competitive matches they’ve played at the DAM Health but Ulster could pose the biggest threat to their unbeaten home record.

Dan McFarland’s side suffered a setback last Friday when they lost 24-17 at home to Munster but they have impressed this season, most notably in Europe where they beat both Clermont and Northampton home and away in the group stage of the Heineken Champions Cup, then defeated holders Toulouse in France in the first leg of their round of 16 tie before being edged out by a single point on aggregate in the return at Ravenhill.

Their URC form has