Five changes and a fond farewell for Mike Blair and three players in Edinburgh Rugby's last game of season

Mike Blair has made five changes to his Edinburgh XV for his final match in charge and Capital team’s the last game of the season.

The match away to Ulster in the United Rugby Championship will also be Stuart McInally’s swansong appearance after it was yesterday announced that the former captain will retire from rugby when his contract finishes in November. The hooker is named among the replacements and is in line to make his 177th and final appearance for his boyhood club.

Cammy Hutchison starts at inside centre in his final appearance for the club. Henry Pyrgos – also featuring in his last fixture for Edinburgh – replaces Ben Vellacott at scrum-half, while Duhan van der Merwe comes in for the injured Damien Hoyland in on the wing. Tighthead prop Luan de Bruin gets the nod up front while lock Glen Young comes into the pack in place of the injured Marshall Sykes.

“It will be a special occasion for the guys playing their last game for the club,” said Blair, who also stands down as head coach after the match. “It adds an extra level of motivation for our squad to put in a performance that properly recognises what those guys have all achieved here.”

Edinburgh head coach Mike Blair will step down after the final game of the season against Ulster

Edinburgh Rugby team

To play Ulster at Kingspan Stadium in the BKT United Rugby Championship on Friday 21 April (kick-off 7.35pm) – live on Viaplay: 15. Emiliano Boffelli (30); 14. Darcy Graham (59), 13. James Lang (38), 12. Cammy Hutchison (19), 11. Duhan van der Merwe (74); 10. Blair Kinghorn (133), 9. Henry Pyrgos (83); 1. Pierre Schoeman (97), 2. Dave Cherry (70), 3. Luan de Bruin (21), 4. Glen Young (21), 5. Sam Skinner (13), 6. Jamie Ritchie (97) CAPTAIN, 7. Hamish Watson (139), 8. Viliame Mata (115). Replacements: 16. Stuart McInally (176), 17. Boan Venter (45), 18. WP Nel (187), 19. Pierce Phillips (14), 20. Connor Boyle (31), 21. Ben Vellacott (38), 22. Mark Bennett (87), 23. Nathan Sweeney (1).