Four members of the current Scotland Six Nations team are in the Edinburgh tour party for their two Vodacom United Rugby Championship matches in South Africa that starts with the clash with the Cell C Sharks at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Friday.
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However, while Blair Kinghorn, Pierre Schoeman, Mark Bennett and Hamish Watson were members of the Scotland match day squad that did duty against Ireland at the weekend who will be on tour, with Bennett coming on as a replacement and the others starting, coach Mike Blair has not been able to bring his full complement of international players due to Scotland resting protocols.
Blair has had to leave Darcy Graham, Stuart McInally, Grant Gilchrist, WP Nel and Nick Haining at home due to player management considerations.
“It’s a difficult thing to manage, this period, going to South Africa straight after the Six Nations,” said Blair to the Scottish media.
“We’ve got certain directives or players that we have to manage over this three-game period - the two South African games and then the Pau game [in the Challenge Cup on 8 April].
“It’s a little bit about the individuals’ needs and a little bit about the team’s needs. For example, we are a little bit light in the back row at the moment, so that’s where (British and Irish Lion) Hamish comes in.
“We’re keen to get Blair [Kinghorn] a run of games where we can, especially after him starting the game against Ireland as well. There’s no real fixed rule - we’ve just tried to find the best way around everything.”
Apart from a smattering of South Africans in the squad, such as the former Emirates Lions Scottish international Jaco van der Walt, the touring group also includes Argentina’s Emiliano Boffelli.
Edinburgh play the Lions in Johannesburg seven days after they meet the Sharks but have elected to stay in Durban for the bulk of their sojourn in South Africa and will only fly to Johannesburg on the day of the Lions game.
“That’s the advice we’ve been given,” said Blair. “Apparently you need 10 days to acclimatise, and we can’t take 10 days because of the Sharks game, so the alternative is to fly in and out.”
Edinburgh will be under particular pressure to win Saturday’s game against the Sharks as the two teams are separated by just three points at present, with Edinburgh fifth and the Sharks sixth but Edinburgh having played one more game than the Durban team.
Edinburgh squad (for URC matches v the Sharks and the Lions):
Backs: Mark Bennett, Emiliano Boffelli, Matt Currie, Chris Dean, Cammy Hutchison, Henry Immelman, Blair Kinghorn, James Lang, Ramiro Moyano, Freddie Owsley, Henry Pyrgos, Charlie Savala, Charlie Shiel, Jaco van der Walt, Ben Vellacott.
Forwards: Lee-Roy Atalifo, Connor Boyle, Magnus Bradbury, Luan de Bruin, Dave Cherry, Harrison Courtney, Patrick Harrison, Jamie Hodgson, Adam McBurney, Ben Muncaster, Pierce Phillips, Pierre Schoeman, Marshall Sykes, Boan Venter, Hamish Watson, Angus Williams, Glen Young.