IF there was a league table for schools of hard knocks then Gloucester's Kingsholm ground would figure near the top.

Which was just what Al Dickinson wanted when he traded the sleepy surroundings of Edinburgh's Murrayfield home for the famously febrile arena that is the west country side's raucous arena.

"I wanted to take myself outside the comfort zone and really test myself," said the 31-year-old prop of his move to Gloucester in 2007. "It is an experience I don't regret at all. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way, but in retrospect I think it was good for me."

Dickinson had started his professional career in Edinburgh and would subsequently spend time at Sale before completing the circle by returning to the Scottish capital at the start of last season. He admits that his spell in England was challenging at times - he struggled for form at the outset and against injuries later on - but he has no regrets at all about his six years south of the border.

In the second season of his second term at Edinburgh he is in the form of his life and was Scotland's first-choice at loosehead during the recent Six Nations. With the club on an upward trajectory he can look forward with confidence to a few more seasons still, but he can be forgiven for taking a few backyard glances this week as he prepares to reacquaint himself with Gloucester's way of doing things when Edinburgh meet the English outfit in Friday's European Challenge Cup final at the Stoop.

"Gloucester is a great club," he said with a nostalgic smile. "I met a lot of good friends down there and really enjoyed my time there. I know how important this final will be to them as well.

"It's going to be a huge challenge for both teams, but we are really looking forward to it. You can see how dangerous Gloucester are, just from last weekend [when they beat Newcastle Falcons 42-40]. They can really put things together.

"Both teams seem to be in a bit of form at the moment, so it should be a cracker."

Whatever happens on the pitch on Friday, it's a pretty safe bet that Edinburgh will come off second best as far as supporters' decibels are concerned. Gloucester's legendary Shedheads will be turning out in force, far larger numbers than Edinburgh will take to the game.

Dickinson said: "They are so vocal. They are great fans who really get behind the team. They are there about three hours before the game and I'm sure there will be a lot of support going down to London.

"But I'm hoping that will be a few Edinburgh people there to make a bit of noise and get behind us. It is going to be a huge day for the club and for Scottish rugby as well."

When he made his breakthrough at Edinburgh more than a decade ago, Dickinson was seen as a wonderfully mobile prop, but hardly the greatest scrummager. He can still motor about the park well enough, but his scrummaging has come on leaps and bounds - although those probably aren't the best terms to describe progress in that particular art - so much so that Edinburgh are now seen as a real force in the set-piece.

Just ask Matias Aguero and Dario Chistolini, the two Zebre props who were both yellow-carded at Murrayfield last Friday as Edinburgh chewed up the Italian pack, spat them out and clocked up a 37-0 Guinness PRO12 victory by way of a warm-up for this week's European final.

"I can't take credit for that, it's all about how we work as a unit," he made clear. "Stevie Scott [the Edinburgh forwards coach] has been working us hard all season.

"I think we've had a good scrum all year and it's been about chipping away at little things and getting better and better as the weeks go by. Zebre are a tough scrummaging side so it was good to see some progress there."

Again, Dickinson gives thanks for the seasons he spent in England and a Premiership competition in which sides have traditionally put far greater emphasis on the set-piece than has been found in the Celtic equivalent.

"All the premiership teams have really good scrums," he said. "Sometimes you go in there and get a pasting and learn really hard lessons, but other times you go in there and dominate.

"So it was really good for me to go down there and learn from all those good props. Experience is invaluable in rugby. Over the years, I have been picking up bits of knowledge from lots of players."

His education will continue on Friday when he is likely to be up against John Afoa, the former All Black tighthead who has been outstanding for Gloucester since his arrival from Ulster last summer. With Nick Wood - one of the few players to survive from Dickinson's time at Kingsholm - and Wales hooker Richard Hibbard also in the Gloucester front row, the entire Edinburgh pack already know that a strenuous shift will be needed.

But Dickinson is confident they can deliver. While fans and critics have had their doubts about Edinburgh over the past two seasons, he believes there has been solid progress and has no regrets about his decision to return.

"The general trend has been that we are improving," he said firmly. "Sometimes it is hard for outsiders looking in and spectators can get pretty p****d off because you win well one week and then you go and lose.

"It is just the rollercoaster ride of rugby, but there is no magic remedy. The biggest thing is just believing you can be successful."