Cherry set for century in 1872 Cup decider

Dave Cherry will become Edinburgh Rugby’s 45th centurion tomorrow afternoon, starting against Glasgow Warriors at Scottish Gas Murrayfield for his 100th appearance in capital colours (28 December, kick-off 3pm) – live on Premier Sports.

The Scotland international hooker will run out in front of over 35,000 fans for his hometown team, marking a special landmark for a player with an intrinsic connection with rugby in the capital.

Cherry – who takes the place of the injured Ewan Ashman – is one of four changes made to the starting lineup that lost out against Glasgow last week, with the capital side looking to overturn a 19-point deficit in the 1872 Cup.

On the match, Everitt said: “We want to put more intent into our performance. Last week we didn’t win the scrap battle, we lost the aerial battle, I think they got the better of us at the breakdown as well, especially in the first half.

“There’s a huge number of supporters expected to be at Scottish Gas Murrayfield tomorrow, and we want to put on a show for them.”

Everitt names an unchanged back three, with Wes Goosen selected at fullback alongside Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe, the latter of whom fresh from earning his 100th cap.

Mosese Tuipulotu lines up at inside centre for his first start at Scottish Gas Murrayfield, with Matt Currie again at outside centre.

The capital halfback pairing is unchanged, with Ross Thompson (stand-off) and Ali Price (scrum-half) both starting against their former club.

Cherry is joined in the front row by D’Arcy Rae (tighthead) and Boan Venter (loosehead), who bagged a late brace of tries last time out.

Club double centurion Grant Gilchrist starts in the second row with Sam Skinner, the Scotland lock making his first league start of the season.

Ben Muncaster comes into the starting line up at number eight – taking the place of Magnus Bradbury who remains in concussion protocol – joining club centurions Jamie Ritchie and Luke Crosbie to complete the loose forwards.

Edinburgh Rugby team to face Glasgow Warriors in the BKT United Rugby Championship
Scottish Gas Murrayfield (Saturday 28 December, kick-off 3pm) – live on Premier Sports

15. Wes Goosen (41)

14. Darcy Graham (72)
13. Matt Currie (48)
12. Mosese Tuipulotu (9)
11. Duhan van der Merwe (100)

10. Ross Thompson (10)
9. Ali Price (25)

1. Boan Venter (76)
2. Dave Cherry (99)
3. D’arcy Rae (14)
4. Sam Skinner (29)
5. Grant Gilchrist (213) CAPTAIN
6. Jamie Ritchie (122)
7. Luke Crosbie (105)
8. Ben Muncaster (37)

Replacements

16. Paddy Harrison (20)
17. Pierre Schoeman (123)
18. Javan Sebastian (19)
19. Marshall Sykes (73)
20. Hamish Watson (164)
21. Charlie Shiel (66)
22. Ben Healy (30)
23. James Lang (60)

Unavailable: Ewan Ashman (shoulder), Magnus Bradbury (concussion), Ben Vellacott (ankle), Paul Hill (calf), Ross McCann (calf), Freddy Douglas (ankle), Mark Bennett (quad), Connor Boyle (knee), Harry Paterson (hamstring), Emiliano Boffelli (back)