If first impressions were accorded their supposed importance, club captain Fraser McKenzie would not be leading Edinburgh into their biggest match of the season today because their head coach did not like what he encountered on their initial meeting last summer.

“I met him for the first time when I did one-on-ones with the whole squad and he looked like a retired footballer. He was in T-shirt and shorts and a really good sun tan and slightly overweight. He was just in pretty s**t nick, yeah,” is Richard Cockerill’s assessment.

He admits to having been even more disconcerted when the lock told him he still had two years left on his contract. Yet by the time Cockerill’s overhaul of the culture of a previously struggling club ran into early difficulties, the 30-year-old had got himself fit and turned things around, in turn allowing the man in charge to reinforce fundamental messages to his squad regarding his own approach.

“I have been very pleased with what he has delivered even before I made him captain. He surprised me because when I first arrived I thought he might be one of the first blokes leaving,” Cockerill says bluntly.

“But he has worked really hard, got himself in good nick and played very, very well. I want to reward guys who play well for the team. I don’t mind whether they are an international or a club player or whatever background they have come from, the reputation they have or don’t have. I see what I see and I pick on what I see.

“It’s not hard to turn yourself around, just show me attitude and commitment and you’ll get the opportunity and he did. I was in a situation where I had to change captains and he’s grown into the role very well.

“I have said this to him, so he won’t be surprised to hear it, he is not a world class player, he is a very good club player and leads very well by what he says and delivers what he says. He is a tough fellow who works hard. He is no nonsense. He says it how it is and has played very well. When he has been captain he has been great. Last week when he was left out he was good and he still led. He worked even harder at training than before. I am delighted with him and these guys deserve their opportunity.”

Cockerill has made signings for next season that will add quality, but the first part of his task was to turn

attitudes around as exemplified by McKenzie’s commitment.

“The group has worked hard and the things that don’t require talent we do very well, because everybody can do them. A lot of that is effort and we made the choice to make the effort and we’re doing that really well,” he said. “We’re showing that in our performances and I thought although we played poorly last week we’re good enough to stay in the game because we make the effort and the right choices. That’s what’s getting us results.”

His own outlook is best illustrated by a word he has introduced to the rugby lexicon, repeatedly talking about the need and value of being “combatative” which can be taken as a combination of combativeness and competitiveness. Instilling that has taken his team this far and, while Blues are in

similar form, having won five successive matches to Edinburgh’s six in the build-up to this European Challenge Cup quarter-final, he believes that mentality can see them through, particularly when they are playing in what are expected to be difficult conditions at a venue that is ill-suited to club rugby, but has served them well.

“We are in good form, unbeaten here at Murrayfield. We have picked off some big scalps in these six games as well. They have not been average teams,” said Cockerill.“We are confident but we have to play our best game. If we put our best game out we are more than capable of winning. If we don’t they are good enough to beat us for sure. I think our set-piece will be combatative and we’ll try to get an edge there. For me it’s more about the fact that we have a really solid foundation built on hard work and confidence in how we’re going to play, whether it’s dry or whether it’s wet.

“We can play in all conditions, as we have seen in the last few weeks. I’m not sure they can but we’ll see. The likelihood is that it’s going to pour with rain, so the game may not be a spectacle but it’s there to be won and it’ll certainly be a very committed contest. The sum of our parts is the most important: we have some very good individuals but collectively I think we’re very strong and that probably gives us the slight edge on them.”