Ulster Rugby v Edinburgh

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It’s taken a lot of work, and one imagines voices have been strident in the team room, but that only one really counts: that everyone knows what Richard Cockerill wants, how it will be achieved and the consequences of falling short. John Barclay, Scotland’s barnstorming skipper, bruising Fijian lock Viliame Mata, roustabout breakaway Hamish Watson and resurgent hooker Stuart McInally have ‘bought in’ to the ‘Cockerill Way’ – and have the international caps to prove it! Playmakers Henry Pyrgos and Jaco van der Wait, Mark Bennett, Juan Pablo Socino and the scoring machine that is Duhan van der Merwe, Blair Kinghorn, Damian Hoyland and Sean Kennedy have seen their stars rise since the new regime took control, and they’ve been given their creative, free-running heads. ‘In Your Face’ was the title of Cockerill’s robust memoir, appropriate for a plain-spoken member of the front-row union. His observations in that time probably cost him his place in Clive Woodward’s more sophisticated plans for England, but the Edinburgh boss ‘moved on’. He’s signed up until 2021 at Edinburgh, so Scotland is no short-term respite, and opponents should beware! Ulster will know that having started with a win last week against Scarlets, that Edinburgh will be hurting after an opening PRO14 week defeat at Ospreys.

Head Coach Dan McFarland – no shrinking violet himself - knows how Cockerill operates, that his Ulster side will be asked some penetrating questions, especially up front, this evening. The Scots will be rugged, aggressive and dangerous. Ulster has already shown real character, its supporters a refreshing zeal for the campaign, and with Will Addison, Billy Burns, Henry Speight, Marty Moore and Jordi Murphy making up an impressive list of additions to the squad for this evening’s match, it will be another signal of realistic home expectations this season. It’s a game about which to get excited, so much is new or renewed about Ulster, and Edinburgh is a pretty formidable opposition just two weeks in! Next stop South Africa!

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