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RUGBY GUNNERS v STADE Richard’s out to finish Euro job at home
EDINBURGH coach Richard Cockerill wants his troops to seal a home Challenge Cup quarter-final at the first time of asking.
The Gunners know one win from their Euro double-header with French superstars Stade Francais will be enough to get the job done.
They head into battle at Murrayfield tonight and Cockerill doesn’t want to leave anything to chance for the return in Paris next weekend.
He said: “We have a great opportunity to get the job done now against a very strong side.
“Stade won this trophy last year – and they are good enough to win it again.
“We must make sure we don’t have to depend on the result at their place. But we face a huge challenge.
“It you watched them against Montpellier last weekend you would have seen how combative and competitive they are.
“However, I have chosen a strong side and we have more than enough firepower across the board to secure the result we badly want.
“We have been performing well and I don’t think it is a case of prioritising Europe over the Pro14 or vice versa.
“We just have to focus on keeping up the momentum with the aim of going as far as we can in both events.”
Stade Francais are struggling in their domestic league, sitting 11th out of 14 teams, but Cockerill insists it’s not a true reflection of their talent.
He said: “They have a very good squad but for whatever reason their coaches have not been getting the best out of them. Whoever they have picked will be good enough to beat us – if they put their minds to it.
“But we know we can compete with sides like them. Glasgow are a big team too and we competed with them, beating them at home.
“We need to get our mentality and attitude right, keep playing with ball in hand and put them under pressure.
“If that happens we will create opportunities.”
Cockerill has made five changes to the line-up that demolished the Southern Kings at Myreside.
Damien Hoyland is back on the wing and Mark Bennett is joined at centre by Chris Dean. Sam Hidalgo-Clyne returns at scrum half, Rory Sutherland is back at loosehead and back row Bill Mata is recalled.
B Kinghorn; D Hoyland, M Bennett, C Dean, D van der Merwe; J van der Walt, S Hidalgo-Clyne; R Sutherland, S McInally (capt), M McCallum, B Toolis, G Gilchrist, M Bradbury, H Watson, V Mata.
N Cochrane, M Shields, K Bryce, F McKenzie, J Ritchie, N Fowles, D Graham, J Rasolea.
EDINBURGH: Subs:
MURRAYFIELD, TONIGHT 7.35PM