Edinburgh team for Cardiff

15 Jim Thompson

14 Lee Jones
13 Simon Webster
12 Matt Scott
11 Tim Visser

10 Phil Godman
9 Greig Laidlaw CAPTAIN

1 Kyle Traynor
2 Steven Lawrie
3 Lewis Niven
4 Grant Gilchrist
5 Steven Turnbull
6 Sean Cox
7 Roddy Grant
8 David Denton

Substitutes
16 Andrew Kelly
17 Robin Hislop
18 Jack Gilding
19 Esteban Lozada
20 Hamish Watson
21 Chris Leck
22 Gregor Hunter
23 John Houston

Slightly worried by that backline as I thought it was going to be a strength of ours with the Internationalists away, by Simon Webster at 13??? Matt Scott seems to have done well in pre season so probably deserves a chance.

Strong looking backrow and will be good to see how Gilding steps up to the big boys level.

Really need to target this as a must win game.

A couple of surprises there.

Scott and Webster at centre and no Houston, King or Cairns?? There must be some injuries going on there, but I'm still surprised Houston isn't preferred to Scott. Webster has played 13 before, even at international level, and he can be an effective jinking runner. Still, hurry back Ben Cairns.

Andrew Kelly on the bench. Odd.

Gilchrist starting ahead of Lozada. I'm delighted.

The back three look lethal.

He does have international experience, but that was years ago when he was fit!

Cairnsy got injured in the Scotland camp - not sure how long for. Pretty sure James King is injured too.

Agreed about Houston - he does a decent shift and would have been my pick for an important season opener like this.

That is a good looking back 3!

Blues team

15. Chris Czekaj 14. Richard Mustoe 13. Casey Laulala 12. Gavin Evans 11. Tom James 10. Ceri Sweeney 9. Richie Rees

8. Andries Pertorius 7. Martyn Williams 6. Michael Paterson 5. Deiniol Jones 4. James Down 3. Scott Andrews 2. T Rhys Thomas ( c ) 1. Sam Hobbs

16. Rhys Williams 17. Nathan Trevett 18. Ryan Harford 19. Paul Tito 20. Maama Molitika 21. Lewis Jones 22. Gareth Davies 23. Dafydd Hewitt

No idea who most those players are (I'm sure they Cardiff fans feel the same when they look at the Edinburgh team)- how good a team is that?

Pretty strong, the backs are almost all first choice (bar 12 and 14 - although Mustoe is an excellent regional player)

The Backrow is strong with Pretorious our player of the season and Martyn at 7, Paterson is a decent NZ 6 who should improve this season.

The front 5 has 3 internationals and Downs and Hobbs and both promising younger players.

The bench has a poor front row, but decent Lock and Backrow replacement and the backs are ok, bar the unknown SH cover.

I know a few of them. Czekaj is a non-tackling show pony, James is roughly a quarter as good as he thinks he is and Sweeney is a professional choker, good one minute dreadful the next.

On the other hand Laulala is pretty useful at 13 and Richie Rees is pretty close to the Welsh squad. Williams at 7 is obviously first class and will have a point to prove, and Deiniol Jones seems to have been around for ages. Thomas at hooker also used to play for Wales and is pretty solid.

I think they have a better pack than us and with Tito and Molitika on the bench the certainly have strong impact players. They should edge the game on paper but I just have a sneaky feeling our backs will score a few.

Delighted that Matt Scott has come thru pre-season with his reputation enhanced on the back of some very good performances by all accounts. Slightly surprised to see Steve Lawrie preferred ahead of Kelly, whom I'd have taken ahead of Hall to the RWC - has he been injured?

Edinburgh 15-38 Cardiff Blues

EDINBURGH
Pens: Laidlaw 5
CARDIFF BLUES
Try: Hobbs 2, Pretorius, James Cons: Sweeney 3 Pens: Sweeney 4

Very good win for the Blues - fair play to them

Away BPW to start the season

See what happens when Parks isnt playing