Returning hero has Scott better
Hodge is so glad Gunners laid out welcome Matt for old boy and tips him to shine in Pro14
DUNCAN HODGE reckons Matt Scott will be an even bigger star for Edinburgh second time around.
The Scotland centre makes his competitive comeback for the Gunners in tonight’s tough Pro14 opener against the Ospreys in Wales.
And former Calcutta Cup hero Hodge is convinced Scott will have improved as a player thanks to his two-year spell with Gloucester as he returns to continue his career north of the border.
Scott is just one of a number of summer signings made by Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill. And Gunners assistant boss Hodge said: “It’s fantastic to have Matt back with us.
“He was excellent for us before and I believe he will be even stronger with more experience under his belt.
“He’s had to work really hard in the build-up to the season because the centre positions are so toughly contested.
“The effort has definitely been there over the past few months and he has been looking better and better week by week.
“He is definitely going to be a big player for us this season.”
Joining Scott behind the scrum for the Liberty Stadium showdown will be scrum-half Henry Pyrgos, who has made the switch from Glasgow.
He will link up in midfield with another debut boy, New Zealander Simon Hickey.
And in the pack, freshmen Pierre Schoeman and Luke Hamilton are included.
Cockerill said: “We have selected a team brimming with experience at the highest level.
“Ospreys will be a very combative side and we must go into the match with the right mentality and degree of toughness.
“They are an extremely powerful outfit, especially on their own patch.
“It’s absolutely crucial we lay down an immediate marker in the competition.
“Our preparation has been thorough and we are going down there with confidence.”
Test trio George North, Scott Williams and Aled Davies will make their Ospreys league debuts while Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones also starts after sitting out the pre-season matches.
Ospreys coach Allen Clark reckons Edinburgh have a good chance of reaching the play-off rounds for the second year in a row.
He said: “They improved tremendously last season and I expect that trend to continue.
“They were particularly strong in the second half of the league programme and they will be aspiring to carry on where they left off.
“We know we will have to be more consistent and anything other than a home win in the opening fixture would be a big disappointment.
“Our selection has been based on performance throughout pre-season training and warm-up games against Northampton and Saracens.
“Across the squad there are players who have impressed, who have put their hands up for selection, resulting in some tight calls.”
Matt was excellent before for us and I believe he’ll be even stronger DUNCAN HODGE
EDINBURGH: B Kinghorn; D Fife, M Bennett, M Scott, D van der Merwe; S Hickey, H Pyrgos; P Schoeman, S McInally (capt), S Berghan, B Toolis, G Gilchrist, L Hamilton, H Watson, B Mata. Subs: R Ford, A Dell, M McCallum, F McKenzie, J Ritchie, S Kennedy, J van der Walt, J Johnstone.