Two of Edinburgh's most promising players, Al Strokosch and Ally Dickinson, are to leave Scotland's leading professional team to join Gloucester.

Two of Edinburgh's most promising players, Al Strokosch and Ally Dickinson, are to leave Scotland's leading professional team to join Gloucester.

It is a development that is unlikely to please the national team management, not least because of the way English-based players were recently prevented from joining Scotland for training sessions.

Though they are outsiders for places in the World Cup squad, both are rated excellent prospects. Strokosch, who turned 24 yesterday, made his senior international debut during the autumn and starts for Scotland A against Italy in Perth tomorrow night.

Dickinson, 23, is one of the paciest props in world rugby and would also have played in the A international but for an ankle injury suffered during Edinburgh's defeat by Leinster last Friday.

Both played in the Edinburgh team beaten home and away by the Guinness Premiership side in this season's Heineken European Cup.

The pair will join a burgeoning Scottish expatriate colony at Gloucester and the link with Carl Hogg, who was part of Edinburgh's coaching team last season, is believed to have played a part in their decision.

At the end of last season Rory Lawson defied the wishes of the national team management when the scrum-half made the same move, lured by the prospect of working with Bryan Redpath, the former Scotland captain who is the backs coach at Gloucester.

The Herald understands that it may signal the start of a major shake-up at Edinburgh as the new owners conduct their first full squad review, but their spokesperson said last night they are sorry the pair are leaving.

"In common with all other clubs, we are in the process of finalising our squad for next season," she said. "Within this process, players will come and go. While we would have liked to retain the services of both, it is difficult to stand in the way of players who wish to pursue a career elsewhere."

Meanwhile, Chris Paterson, the Scotland captain, believes supporters have been inspired to turn out in record numbers for the chance to get behind the side's bid to claim a second successive RBS 6 Nations win at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Ticket sales for meetings with Italy have grown steadily since they joined the championship in 2000, 48,000 having attended the corresponding fixture two years ago.

A total of 46,500 had been accounted for by yesterday morning, and an average of 1000-a-day have been sold each day since the win over Wales earlier this month, so Paterson was entitled to be optimistic.

"The atmosphere was awesome against Wales, he said, "and I hope it can be the same with what should be a record attendance this week to drive us on. They Italy will believe this is game they can win. They target Scotland every year and make no secret of it. They also want to win away from home, so it's a huge game for us."