Fit-again Edinburgh winger Simon Webster is relishing his comeback match against Leinster this weekend after admitting he has been a frustrated spectator.
Webster has seen Edinburgh play the positive brand of rugby he most enjoys, and will be determined to cash in when he lines up at Murrayfield in Saturday’s Heineken Cup contest.
But he regrets having to spend so long on the sidelines with shin and back injuries – and admits some of the blame for his absence should be pinned on himself.
The Leinster clash cannot come soon enough for Webster, who said: “There have been performances that I’ve watched that have left me licking my lips because I thought that type of off-loading game would suit me.”
He has not featured since October, but almost returned for the clash with Llanelli Scarlets last month, only to injure his back after pushing himself too hard in training.
Having shaken off the shin injury, his back flared up and the 26-year-old Scotland international had to pull out of the clash with the Scarlets.
He said: “It is a hard one with those injuries because sometimes you can treat it and it can react really well.
“But this one was different; we hit it with all sorts of antibiotics and I even took the strongest ones you can get from the hospital.
“It still wasn’t shifting it though and it was becoming so frustrating.
“Basically going from the doctor telling me my leg was fine, I started charging around in training and picked up a back injury.
“That was a direct result of not doing anything for a couple of weeks and then rushing into training.
“I will take some responsibility for that because I should have eased myself back in. But I was so eager to train, even though it wasn’t the best thing for me.”
Edinburgh are determined to make amends for last week’s 28-14 defeat to Leinster in Dublin, and register their first Heineken Cup win of the season.
Webster said: “I watched the game last Friday and I felt there were a lot of things we could have done better. So if we do those things better then we have a very real chance of winning.
“We have worked hard this week and we are not turning up just to make up the numbers. We beat them here last season, so we will try to do it again this time around.”
Webster has warned he may struggle to find peak form in the early games of his return to the capital side.
“But what I lack in fitness I will make up for in enthusiasm during the game at the weekend,” he promised.
Edinburgh head coach Andy Robinson has named a changed pack for the game, with props Allan Jacobsen and Gavin Kerr dropping out. Roland Reid is also omitted, as Augusto Allori, Craig Smith and Simon Cross come into the forwards.
First-team captain Allister Hogg could make his comeback after a rib injury, having been named on the bench.
Matt Dey drops out to accommodate the return of Webster.
