Edinburgh Rugby named their side for the BKT United Rugby Championship home finale against Connacht on Friday, 15 May 2026, with Sean Everitt making four changes for the 7.45pm kick-off at Hive Stadium. The match, live on Premier Sports, gives Edinburgh a chance to finish the season with a fourth consecutive victory in front of their own fans.
Magnus Bradbury returned at number 8 in place of Tom Currie, while Marshall Sykes came into the second row after Grant Gilchrist was ruled out with a finger injury suffered against Dragons RFC at Rodney Parade. Tom Dodd starts at blindside flanker, Glen Young moves into the engine room alongside Sykes, and Piers O’Conor replaces Mosese Tuipulotu at outside centre.
The rest of the team stays close to the one that has driven Edinburgh’s late push. Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe and Harry Paterson remain in the back three, with Findlay Thomson making his fourth straight start. Ross Thompson and Hector Patterson continue as the half-back pairing, while Ewan Ashman stays at hooker after taking the BKT Player of the Match award in three straight games. Pierre Schoeman and Ollie Blyth-Lafferty start in the front row, and Freddy Douglas completes the loose trio.
The squad also reflects the club’s long-running commitment to homegrown talent. Fifteen of the 23 players were developed through Edinburgh Rugby’s academy system, the group has an average age of 25, and seven players aged 21 or under are included in the matchday squad. For a fixture that is also the club’s annual Change The Game event, the make-up of the team underlines how much of Edinburgh’s recent momentum has come from within.
Everitt said the competition for places had been fierce and that he had enjoyed seeing the fight for the jersey across the last block of games. He said three wins on the bounce had taken real character and commitment, and added that the chance to make it four in a row at home, in a game that matters so much to the club on and off the field, was a fitting way to close the season. He also said the team wanted to send supporters away with something to smile about.
The off-field target gives the night an added edge. Edinburgh said the Change The Game fixture is aimed at raising £70,000 for official charity partner It’s Good 2 Give, making the final home game about more than league points alone. The challenge now is whether a side built around academy graduates, in-form leaders and a settled spine can deliver the win that would match the occasion.
