Cross returns to lead Edinburgh

The back rower, 26, missed last week's home draw against Ospreys with a shoulder injury and scrum-half Ben Meyer deputised in his absence.

But the former Wasps No8 returns at the base of the scrum for the visit of the Dragons and revealed he was thrilled to be back.

Cross said: "I'm really excited to be back because I found last week really difficult when I had to watch from the sidelines.

"But I thought Benny Meyer stepped up and did a fantastic job, as we all thought he would.

"He has got all the qualities of a great leader, so I'm very grateful to him. Now I'm really looking forward to leading the team again on Friday.

"It is something I take very seriously and I hope we can maintain our unbeaten home record."

Cross is set to pit his wits against Dragons' captain Colin Charvis and the Mauritius-born forward thinks he can learn a lot from watching the Wales international in action.

He said: "Colin is a quality player and he has been around with Wales for a long time and has bags of experience. As far as being a captain is concerned, I would like to think I could learn a lot from him.

"But at the same time, I'll be doing everything I can to make sure Edinburgh wins and if that is the case then I'll certainly be a happy captain."

Edinburgh team:
Nick De Luca, Andrew Turnbull, Ben Cairns, John Houston, Andrew Maxwell, Phil Godman, Ben Meyer; Augusto Allori, Andrew Kelly, Geoff Cross, Craig Hamilton, Ben Gissing, Matt Mustchin, Ross Rennie, Simon Cross (captain).

Replacements:
Steven Lawrie, Ryan Grant, Fergus Pringle, Roland Reid, Greig Laidlaw, Alistair Warnock, Matt Dey.