Edinburgh Rugby v Pau: Blair Kinghorn and Hamish Watson absences explained as Edinburgh eye home tie in last 16

Edinburgh have already secured a place in the last 16 of the European Challenge Cup but a victory in their final Pool C match against Pau on Friday night will guarantee them a home tie.

With that in mind and conscious of an arduous schedule, Mike Blair has chosen to make nine changes to his side for the match at the DAM Health Stadium.

Out go seven international players as Blair tries to manage workloads and blood young talent.

Mark Bennett, James Lang, Emiliano Boffelli, Blair Kinghorn, Ben Vellacott, WP Nel and Hamish Watson are replaced by Matt Currie, Cammy Hutchison, Ramiro Moyano, Jaco van der Walt, Henry Pyrgos, Luan de Bruin and Conor Boyle. Nel is on the bench but the other six won’t be involved.

There is also a back-row reshuffle which sees Magnus Bradbury move from six to No 8, with Glen Young - usually a lock - coming into the team at openside flanker. Ben Muncaster is missing with a knee injury. The other change is Marshall Sykes replacing Pierce Phillips in the second row.

“Managing these games, and the players, the fact that we just got back from South Africa on Monday afternoon following a Friday night game, it’s difficult,” admitted Blair, who said that Kinghorn and Watson had been omitted due to their heavy involvement with Scotland during the Six Nations and then Edinburgh’s two United Rugby Championship matches in South Africa.

“We don’t want to give guys opportunities just because they are contracted to Edinburgh and should get an opportunity. We want to give guys opportunities because of what they’ve done in training, because of their attitude, because of their investment in making themselves better and adding to the group.

“So, the guys coming in, we feel they do that. Cammy Hutch and Matt Currie