Date: Sat 19 September 2020
KO: 13:30
Venue: Stade Chaban-Delmas
Edinburgh Rugby have this week confirmed a positive test for COVID-19 for one of its Academy players following routine club testing.
A further three Edinburgh Academy players have been identified and are now self-isolating in line with government guidelines. Potential contact by the affected player with other members of the Edinburgh playing squad has been fully reviewed and no further action was required.
Which means that Edinburgh’s knockout game in the European Challenge-Cup goes ahead, but they will be without Duhan Van Der Merwe for the trip to France.
Mark Bennett and Nic Groom are big but not as catastrophic losses, but add in that three, WP Nel and the fact that Edinburgh are down three scrum-halves and things start to look a little tricky against a Bordeaux side who Ediburgh couldn’t beat home or away during the pool stages.
Will the post-lockdown version be different?
Bordeaux-Begles: 15. Nans Ducuing, 14. Santiago Cordero, 13. Jean-Baptiste Dubié, 12. Ulupano Seuteni, 11?. , 10. Matthieu Jalibert, 9. Yann Lesgourgues; 1. Jefferson Poirot (c), 2. Clement Maynadier, 3. Vadim Cobilas, 4. Kane Douglas, 5. Jandré Marais, 6. Mahamadou Diaby, 7. ??, 8. Marco Tauleigne.
Replacements: 16. Joseph Dweba, 17. Lekso Kaulashvili, 18. Ben Tameifuna, 19. Cyril Cazeaux, 20. Cameron Woki, 21. Maxime Lucu, 22. Ben Botica, 23. Pablo Uberti,
Edinburgh Rugby: 15. Blair Kinghorn, 14. Darcy Graham, 13. James Johnstone, 12. George Taylor, 11. Damien Hoyland, 10. Jaco van der Walt, 9. Charlie Shiel, 1. Pierre Schoeman, 2. Stuart McInally (c), 3. Simon Berghan, 4. Ben Toolis, 5. Grant Gilchrist, 6. Jamie Ritchie, 7. Hamish Watson, 8. Viliame Mata.
Replacements: 16. Mike Willemse, 17. Rory Sutherland, 18. Murray McCallum, 19. Andrew Davidson, 20. Magnus Bradbury, 21. Nick Haining, 22. Daniel Nutton, 23. Chris Dean.
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Unavailable due to injury: Duhan van der Merwe, Mark Bennett, Nic Groom, Henry Pyrgos, Lewis Carmichael, Fraser McKenzie, WP Nel, Roan Frostwick
Other Scots interest around the weekend includes a rare sighting of Blade Thomson at 6 for the Scarlets, Matt Scott at 12 for Leicester and Finn Russell starts for Racing92 vs Clermont.
Saracens (Duncan Taylor, Sean Maitland, Tim Swinson, Callum Hunter-Hill) and Exeter (Stuart Hogg and Jonny Gray start, Sams Skinner and Hidalgo-Clyne on the bench) both have big Scottish representation. Rory Hutchinson also starts for Saints looking to stop Exeter’s run of form.