Edinburgh v Dragons: Teams

Scotland back-row Allister Hogg is relishing his return to Edinburgh's starting XV for the visit of the Dragons.

Hogg, who came off the bench for brief spell against Munster, has been named at No.8, with Scott Newlands moving across to blindside and Roddy Grant dropping to the bench.

And Hogg admitted: "I'm really pleased to be back in the side and to be leading Edinburgh out again in what will be a difficult game against Dragons.

"The Dragons have played some good rugby so far this season and we realise we need to match the performance we put in against Munster to keep our winning run going.

"The boys played really well last week against Munster and I enjoyed helping them win.

"My mindset will be no different this week - I'll be aiming to make sure the team performs well and that we get another win before the break in the schedule."

Scotland captain Mike Blair starts the match on the bench, with Greg Laidlaw preferred at scrum-half, while Allan Jacobsen comes back in at loosehead.

Dragons stalwart Steve Jones has been handed the captaincy for the trip to Scotland.

The hooker, who has made 120 appearances for the region, has been in fine form this season in the absence of regular captain Tom Willis.

Coach Paul Turner said: "Steve has shown great determination this season and having stepped up so successfully in the absence of Tom Willis to become one of the form hookers in Wales, I am confident that he will step up just as well as captain."

The side also sees the debut of new signing Pat Palmer at tighthead, while academy graduate Toby Falatau is also set to make his first senior appearance as he lines up on the bench.

Edinburgh: 15 Chris Paterson, 14 John Houston, 13 Ben Cairns, 12 Nick De Luca, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Phil Godman, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 8 Allister Hogg (capt), 7 Alan MacDonald, 6 Scott Newlands, 5 Scott MacLeod, 4 Steve Turnbull, 3 Geoff Cross, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements: 16 Andrew Kelly, 17 Kyle Traynor, 18 Craig Hamilton, 19 Roddy Grant, 20 Mike Blair, 21 Mark Robertson, 22 Steve Jones.

Dragons: 15 Jason Tovey, 14 Aled Brew, 13 Tom Riley, 12 Matther Watkins, 11 Richard Fussell, 10 James Arlidge, 9 Wayne Evans, 8 Grant Webb, 7 Gavin Thomas, 6 Hoani Macdonald, 5 Adam Jones, 4 Rob Sidoli, 3 Patrick Palmer, 2 Steve Jones (C), 1 Hugh Gustafson,
Replacements: 16 Duane Goodfield, 17 Peter Bracken, 18 James Harris, 19 Toby Falatau, 20 Martyn Thomas, 21 Rhodri Gomer Davies, 22 Danny Lee.