Edinburgh's top players are making a timely return

EDINBURGH won their final six matches last season to finish second in the Magners League. But this season, with six matches remaining in the regular season, head coach Rob Moffat would probably settle for fourth place and a spot in the new end-of- season play-offs.

Edinburgh's run-in includes tricky-looking fixtures in Dublin and Newport, but first up this afternoon at Murrayfield are the league-leading Ospreys, who arrive with a strong squad despite the absence of so many Welsh internationals. Scrum-half Mike Philips renews his rivalry with Mike Blair, and gets some crucial game time before next weekend's Test against Ireland, while Nikki Walker will be keen to remind Scotland coach Andy Robinson of his attacking threat after a miserable outing for Scotland A in Belfast.

In the midfield, Welsh international Sonny Parker is up against Scotland's Nick De Luca, who has just signed a new two-year deal that confirms his immediate future lies with Edinburgh. A good showing from the Edinburgh man this afternoon could see him make the step up from the bench into Scotland's starting line-up as Robinson adds some cutting edge to his blunt midfield.

Certainly Moffat is happy to have the centre and a number of other well-kent faces back in harness for what could be a key game this afternoon. Having played one match more than three of the teams above them, and two matches more than Leinster, it is going to be a nervous few weeks, as the Edinburgh coach acknowledges.

"Having Mike Blair and Phil Godman and Nick De Luca is great. It was the same two weekends ago in Munster, where we had Jim Hamilton too. It's very difficult for them to come back into the club game (after international duty] and we all appreciate that fact.

"I spoke to Mike about that and we've given him the start, which is tough on Greig Laidlaw, but he looked sharp when he came on against Italy last weekend. We started David Blair because he played well in Munster, and Nick just wants to play rugby all the time and he hasn't had that many starts this year. The one I'm worried about is Phil, who played week in, week out, and suddenly it's all stopped. He's now had something like seven minutes in about five weeks and that's what we want to prevent happening in the future."

While admitting that his team needs to win the next two home matches, against the Ospreys and the Scarlets, Moffat prefers not to add to the pressure his players already feel. Instead of the result, the Edinburgh coach is focusing on the performance because if his side gets that right everything else should follow. Unless you are playing for Scotland.

Moffat talks about his team's narrow defeat at Munster last time out, so are there parallels to be drawn between Edinburgh and Scotland, with neither team able to wield the knock-out blow?

"In Munster I was really pleased with the way we approached the game," says Moffat. "Everyone in the squad was really, really disappointed with the result. There was no question of being overawed by the opposition. We knew that if we played well we'd get the win, but instead we came away with a point.

"We got turned over twice on their line and again inside our own 22 in the last five minutes. It was little things. They had a man yellow carded and then scored ten points! Munster just got a sniff and they have a ruthless edge. A lot of our games have been tight and we've nailed a good few of them, so I don't accept that we're chokers, but we are still a young side."

And an exceptionally young back row trio which, once again, includes three natural openside flankers in Roddy Grant, Alan MacDonald and Ross Rennie, who makes another comeback after an injury to his "good" knee. Thankfully the club's shortage of No.8 forwards has been addressed with the signing of Scotland U-20 skipper Stuart McInally for next season.

With the Ospreys fielding the All Black breakaway trio of Filo Tiatia, Marty Holah and Jerry Collins, Moffat's only disappointment is that he can't use McInally in this afternoon's game.

Edinburgh: Cairns; Robertson, De Luca, Houston, Webster; D Blair, M Blair; Traynor, Kelly, Cross, MacLeod, Turnbull, MacDonald, Rennie, Roddy Grant.

Subs: Crombie, Ryan Grant, C Hamilton, Callam, Laidlaw, Godman, Visser.

Ospreys: Owen; Vaughton, Parker, Bishop, Walker; Bigger, Philips; Bevington, Hibbard, Mitchell, Gough, Evans, Collins, Holah, Tiatia.

Subs: Shevington, Griffiths, Lloyd, Tandy, Nutbrown, Beck, Davies.

Kick-off: 2pm, Murrayfield.