Stadium switch may be flawed

EDINBURGH deserve credit for progressing to their European Challenge Cup quarter-final against La Rochelle, but the decision to move the fixture from Myreside back to Murrayfield could be fatally flawed. If they were hosting a well-supported British team — such as Bath, Gloucester or Cardiff Blues, who have all made the knock-out stages, too — then the switch of grounds would be understandable. However, La Rochelle aren’t likely to travel in great numbers. Although they currently lead the French Top 14 by ten points and are sure to make the end-ofseason play-offs, they are not a side that set the pulse racing. A sell-out crowd of around 6,000 at Myreside — where Edinburgh moved to on a trial basis earlier this year — would have given the home side an advantage. Taking the game back to the national stadium for the sake of a few more thousand fans could work against them. And, after six straight Pro12 defeats, Edinburgh will need all the help they can get to beat a side that has lost just four out of their 22 league games.