Toolis trusted with return to staring XV

BEN Toolis goes straight back into the Edinburgh starting line-up for today’s PRO14 semi-final against Ulster after recovering from shoulder surgery, one of eight changes made by head coach Richard Cockerill from the team that lost to Glasgow eight days ago. Toolis will form his usual second-row partnership with Grant Gilchrist, who is making his 150th appearance for the Conference B winners and also sat out last week’s defeat.

There is in fact an all-new front five for this game, as the front-row trio of Rory Sutherland, Stuart McInally and WP Nel take over from Pierre Schoeman, Mike Willemse and Simon Berghan. The other alterations to the starting line-up see the return of Mark Bennett at inside centre and the restoration of half-back duo Jaco van der Walt and Nic Groom.

Jamie Ritchie has to be content with a place on the bench after missing the Glasgow games with a dislocated finger. Ritchie’s back-row team-mates Luke Crosbie and Nick Haining are among those unfortunate to have missed out on selection for the 23.

“Ben has had shoulder surgery and has been coming back quite conservatively from that as we knew we wanted him back for the semi-final,” Cockerill explained. “We didn’t rush

Ben Toolis will return to the starting XV for Edinurgh tonight

him back last week because there was no point. He has been training fully for the last two weeks. He is such good quality you have to pick him if he’s available for selection.

“Him and Gilchrist are such a great partnership. He is not as match fit as we would have liked but he has worked hard away from the group during lockdown and since we have been back. He is desperate to play.

“For all of us at Edinburgh this is the first time we have made a semi-final in the league and a lot of guys want to be part of it. Ben will be hugely valuable and have a huge impact on the game. He’s a worldclass player.”

Ulster have made only three changes from the team that

was beaten by Leinster in the last game of the regular season. Billy Burns is back to captain the team from stand-off, Louis Ludik returns on the wing, and Alan O’Connor is in at lock in the only alteration to the pack by head coach Dan McFarland.

(v Ulster at BT Murrayfield, 7.35pm) B Kinghorn; D Graham, M Bennett, C Dean; D van der Merwe; J van der Walt, N Groom; R Sutherland, S McInally (captain), W Nel, B Toolis, G Gilchrist, M Bradbury, H Watson, V Mata. M Willemse, P Schoeman, S Berghan, A Davidson, J Ritchie, C Shiel, N Chamberlain, G Taylor.

J Stockdale; L Ludik, J Hume, S McCloskey, R Lyttle; W Burns (captain), J Cooney; E O’Sullivan, R Herring, T O’Toole, A O’Connor, S Carter, M Rea, J Murphy, M Coetzee.

J Andrew, J McGrath, M Moore, K Treadwell, S Reidy, A Mathewson, I Madigan, M Lowry.

F Murphy (Ireland).