Mild weather a relief after long journey

The first thing that struck the Edinburgh players about Moscow was the traffic. As they made the long bus journey from Domodedovo Airport to the south of Moscow to their riverside hotel nearer the city centre, it was just one hold-up after another. After a trip which had started more than 12 hours earlier in Scotland it was not the welcome they were looking for.

There are compensations, though. For one, the weather is nowhere near as bad as they had feared – “Just like a normal autumn day in Scotland,” observed James Johnstone, the centre who is over his head knock and able to resume his role in the side.

For a second, you don’t travel all that distance and ignore the sights. So it was that after training yesterday morning at the ground where their match against Krasny Yar will be played today, many of the squad did get a chance to head into town and sample the city.

“It is an individual thing. All players will prepare in a different way, but it is vital to take in the culture, take in the sights,” said Neil Cochrane, who takes over the captaincy. “We have got to remember, we are here for one thing and one thing only – to win the game.”

The only slight disappointment is the ground itself. They play in the Kili Stadium, which looks run down, the concrete stands separated from the pitch by an ageing running track.