Edinburgh return to home soil eager to bounce back from their defeat at Benetton in Round 5 but will face a Dragons team equally determined to avenge their heavy defeat at Leinster last weekend. Richard Cockerill’s side were the victims of an unexpected ambush in Treviso as they succumbed to a narrow 18-16 loss, while Dragons suffered a 50-15 defeat at the fortress-resembling RDS Arena. And Cockerill has welcomed back several Scotland internationals returning from World Cup duty, bringing in John Barclay and Ben Toolis to a team who have ran in seven tries in each of their first two Guinness PRO14 home games this season. Dragons, therefore, will be preparing for a busy evening of defending, as Dean Ryan makes one change in the midfield by bringing in Jack Dixon to partner Adam Warren – who is set to make his 100th appearance for the club. Kick-off: BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh | 19:35 UK, Friday 8 November How to watch: Live on eir Sport 2, Premier Sports 1, SuperSport 1, DAZN, PRO14.tv Players to watch out for: Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh), Adam Warren (Dragons) The dazzling Duhan van der Merwe has been in scintillating form in the competition this season, hitting a ruthless hat-trick in the demolition of Scarlets and boasting some of the most impressive statistics in the Guinness PRO14 so far. The South African winger has beaten 22 defenders, made 11 clean breaks and made a valuable 286 metres for his team, all of which firmly place him in the competition’s top ten and a record that doesn’t bode well for a Dragons team who leaked 50 points last weekend. But in Adam Warren Ryan can call upon an attacking asset of his own, a player who will be eager to make an impression as he brings up a century of appearances for Dragons. The centre was one of the few players who stood out for the Welsh side at the RDS last weekend, gaining 74 metres and likely to provide his team with a crucial offensive outlet as they head to BT Murrayfield tomorrow night. Key stat: Dragons have won just a solitary Guinness PRO14 match away from home in the last six seasons, failing to win in Scotland since November 2013. Edinburgh: Blair Kinghorn, Eroni Sau, Mark Bennett, Matt Scott, Duhan van der Merwe, Simon Hickey, Henry Pyrgos ©, Pierre Schoeman, Mike Willemse, Pietro Ceccarelli, Lewis Carmichael, Ben Toolis, John Barclay, Luke Crosbie, Magnus Bradbury Replacements: Cameron Fenton, Rory Sutherland, Simon Berghan, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie, Charlie Shiel, Jaco van der Walt, George Taylor Dragons: Jordan Williams, Owen Jenkins, Adam Warren, Jack Dixon, Ashton Hewitt, Sam Davies, Rhodri Williams ©, Brok Harris, Richard Hibbard, Leon Brown, Joe Davies, Matthew Screech, Huw Taylor, Taine Basham, Harrison Keddie Replacements: Ellis Shipp, Josh Reynolds, Lloyd Fairbrother, Max Williams, James Benjamin, Luke Baldwin, Arwel Robson, Tyler Morgan Cardiff City Stadium will play host to the 2020 Guinness PRO14 Final on June 20 as one of the most exciting days in the club rugby calendar comes to Wales! General sale tickets are available from http://bit.ly/PRO14Cardiff2020 and prices start at just £13 for concessions and £26 for adults (subject to booking fees), that’s a 15% early bird discount. Family ticket (2 adults / 2 children) prices begin at £64 and fans are encouraged to buy early to get the best value tickets.
