BENETTON WILL BE REAL TOUGH TEST, WARNS LAWRIE

THE United Rugby Championship fixture list has thrown up an interesting quirk for Edinburgh in that they now face Benetton for the second time in just six weeks. Back in mid-October, they scored a half-century of points against the Italians as they ran riot in a 53-8 victory at the DAM Health Stadium. While that margin of victory might imbue them with a sense of confidence ahead of today’s return fixture, assistant coach Stevie Lawrie insists the Edinburgh players won’t be getting carried away. Lawrie believes that result counts for very little, pointing out that Benetton are often a very different beast on home soil. ‘We’ve not won over there for a while and it’s really important to remember that,’ said Lawrie. ‘We must make sure we go there and be the best version of ourselves. That’s what we’re focusing on, to make sure our approach is right. ‘We take confidence from how we played at home. But if you look at how they play in Italy with the crowd behind them, and the passion, they are a different prospect physically and emotionally. So we’ve put more on the emotional side this week than their technical and tactical stuff.’ Edinburgh go into the game on the back of three successive victories and, despite the international break, Lawrie feels momentum is building. They host Munster next Friday in the URC before their Champions Cup campaign begins against Saracens the following weekend. Keen to build some form heading into those huge games, Lawrie added: ‘Wins bring a certain level of confidence and belief — and that’s important. But it’s about fundamentals. Benetton are very strong at home and it will be a game of fine margins, so we need to make sure we’re on the right side of it. ‘Being back at the DAM next week will be fantastic. But we need to beat Benetton and then there should be a massive crowd for the Munster game.’ EDINBURGH: Immelman; Hoyland, Currie, Lang, Goosen; Savala, Pyrgos; Venter, McInally, Williams, Sykes, Hodgson, Haining, Muncaster, Crosbie (capt). Replacements: Harrison, Jack, Atalifo, Young, Boyle, Vellacott, Van der Walt, Dean. Kick-off: 1pm, Stadio Comunale di Monigo. TV: LIVE on Viaplay Sports 1.