Hamilton returns for Edinburgh

Scotland lock Jim Hamilton will make his long-awaited comeback from injury on Saturday after being named today in the Edinburgh side for the Greaves Sports 1872 Cup decider.

Hamilton, 27, has been out all season with a knee problem but has been given the green light to return for this weekend’s Magners League clash with Glasgow.

He returns with his side looking to overturn a 25-12 deficit from Sunday’s match with the Warriors at Firhill and head coach Rob Moffat said: “It is good to have him back and, like it has been with Ross Rennie and David Callam.

“His return gives the squad a massive boost.”

Hamilton is one of four changes to the starting line-up as Edinburgh attempt to cling onto the 1872 Cup and close the gap on Magners League leaders Glasgow.

Moffat has reintroduced prop Kyle Traynor into the front row, Alan MacDonald reclaims the number six jersey after recovering from a rib injury, while wing Mark Robertson returns, with John Houston moving across to inside centre.

As a result, Moffat is expecting a positive response to Sunday’s setback, saying: “There should be a reaction to Sunday’s result from our players – we didn’t play well and we lost to our closest rivals.

“Glasgow went top of the league, while we dropped down to fifth place.

“So this is a massively important game for us; not just because it is Glasgow, but because it is a big game in the wider scheme of the Magners League.

“There was a good crowd at Firhill last week and it would be great to see another record-breaking crowd at Murrayfield on Saturday.”

Robertson returns to the starting line-up for the first time since early December and it was a double celebration for the powerful wing, who also turned 25 today.

Moffat said: “Mark has looked sharp coming off the bench over the past couple of games – he has put his hand up for selection.

“We thought we would freshen things up a bit and we are hoping the team will perform a lot better than we did last week. We need to get the basics right in order to get our game going.”

Mike Blair is still ruled out with an ankle injury, but Edinburgh’s skipper is edging ever closer to a return.

Vice-captain Allister Hogg could miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a hip problem last week.

Stand-off David Blair (ankle) continues to be ruled out, while club captain Simon Cross is still out with a knee injury along with Andrew Easson (knee), Ryan Grant (ankle) and Simon Webster (hamstring).