By Steve Scott, rugby correspondent

YOUNG FLANKER Roddy Grant has answered the emergency call to solve Edinburgh’s back row injury crisis, as Andy Robinson pieces together a pack for the visit of in-form Ulster to Murrayfield tomorrow night.

With Ross Rennie and David Callam out for the season after surgery, Robinson could ill afford more back row casualties from the second David Lloyd 1872 Cup match against Glasgow, but Alan MacDonald suffered a head knock and Matt Mustchin has an ankle problem.

Therefore, the 21-year-old Grant has been called up for his debut and club captain Simon Cross recalled for his first start of the season, with Scott Newlands rested on the bench for the visit of the Ulstermen.

Grant is still part of the National Academy set-up and only recently returned from skippering Scotland’s Sevens team on the IRB circuit in Dubai and South Africa.

The Botswana-born flanker has played Magners League rugby before—for the now-defunct Borders—but will be making his bow for Edinburgh.

“I’m absolutely delighted to get the chance and I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “Playing in the Magners League has been one of my goals and I will be determined to give it everything I’ve got.”

Cross comes in for Newlands and Craig Hamilton is restored to the second row for Mustchin, while in the backs Nick De Luca is rested and replaced by John Houston while Andrew Turnbull deputises for Mark Robertson, who had surgery on his injured groin earlier this week.

Chris Paterson is still unavailable for selection because of a rib injury that ruled him out of both legs of the matches against Glasgow.

Former Scotland coach Matt Williams will make his first return to Scotland since he took the Ulster job midway through last season and, after an unsteady start, he has piloted them to three successive Magners League wins, including a real rarity last week: a win over Munster at Thomond Park.

The coaching booth at the back of the press box at Murrayfield now occupied by Robinson—and regularly tested for strength and sound-proofing by the volatile Englishman—is perhaps the Australian’s lasting memorial from his spell in charge of Scotland, when the team won only three of 17 games.

However, Williams has deflected all references to his time in Scotland ahead of this week’s game, concentrating on the fact Ulster now lie only a point behind their hosts in the Magners League.

“What we did against Munster was a real achievement but every match is a clean slate and we are going into this game with as much determination and focus as we did Saturday’s, and that means taking nothing for granted,” he said.

“There are no guarantees in this league and Edinburgh are a strong team with pace on the ball.

“They have shown their skills with a win over league leaders the Ospreys and this is a critical game for both sides.”

Scotland cap Simon Danielli will miss the match through injury but former Edinburgh centre Rob Dewey has been selected in the squad, from which a starting team will be named today.

Edinburgh (v Ulster, Magners League, Murrayfield, tomorrow, kick-off 7.45pm): H Southwell, A Turnbull, B Cairns, J Houston, S Webster, P Godman, M Blair (capt), A Jacobsen, R Ford, G Cross, C Hamilton, J Hamilton, S Cross, R Grant, A Hogg.

Replacements: A Kelly, G Kerr, B Gissing, S Newlands, G Laidlaw, D Blair, N De Luca.