Edinburgh Rugby head coach Alan Solomons expects the team picked to play Northampton Saints tomorrow night (23 August, kick-off 7.30pm) to provide his first tangible ‘point of reference’.
The South African took the helm of the capital club just under a fortnight ago, with the second week spent with the squad in a residential training camp at Loughborough University.
Solomons believes that only the combative nature of an 80-minute match will allow him to make his first performance mark.
He said: “The players have worked and trained very hard in pre-season over the summer but I haven’t seen them play or be put under pressure in a game.
“That is when we’ll really start to learn something about this team and these players. This game is about getting that point of reference.
“We’ll get a take on where we’re at as a team and learn more about the players as individuals.”
Edinburgh Rugby today also announced the signing of former Stormers and Biarritz loosehead prop Wicus Blaauw on a two-year deal, subject to medical examination.
The 27-year-old arrives next month with a wealth of experience forged in the top-flight competitions of the northern and southern hemisphere, and is widely revered as an immensely physical front-row technician.
His signing coincides with the departure of Welsh prop John Yapp, who has joined London Irish on a season-long loan.
Edinburgh Team to face Northampton Saints: 15 Greig Tonks, 14 Dougie Fife, 13 Nick De Luca, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Lee Jones, 10 Piers Francis, 9 Greig Laidlaw (captain); 1 Alasdair Dickinson, 2 Ross Ford, 3 WP Nel, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 5 Izak van der Westhuizen, 6 Sean Cox, 7 Roddy Grant, 8 David Denton
Substitutes: 16 Aleki Lutui, 17 Lewis Niven, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 Ollie Atkins, 20 Hamish Watson, 21 Sean Kennedy, 22 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 23 Jack Cuthbert, 24 Dimitri Basilaia, 25 Tom Brown
Unavailable through injury: Alex Allan (leg), Ben Atiga (knee), Grayson Hart (ankle), Steven Lawrie (back), Robin Hislop (leg), Chris Leck (shoulder), Stuart McInally (knee), Ross Rennie (shoulder), Tim Visser (foot), Alun Walker (hamstring), Nikki Walker (shoulder).