Edinburgh will welcome Connacht to their brand new BT Murrayfield pitch this evening, but the unspoken wording of their invitation could be something along the lines of "Come and have a go if you think .

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Most teams in the Guinness PRO12 league would have been happy to take up that challenge last season, but they will be well advised to think twice after the capital side's 14-13 victory over Munster at Thomond Park last week. In the ground that has become legendary for hard, physical rugby over the past few years, Edinburgh took on their Irish hosts up front and won the arm wrestle with more to spare than the scoreline might suggest.

Small wonder that coach Alan Solomons has issued the play-it-again instruction to his pack ahead of tonight's second game of the new league season. The South African has picked exactly the same eight forwards who did such noble and muscular service in last weekend's starting side, and they will be looking to impose themselves as firmly on Munster as they did against their opponents' countrymen in Limerick.

Solomons might well have picked the identical starting XV, but injuries to Dougie Fife and Tim Visser have forced changes behind the scrum, with New Zealanders Sam Beard and Nick McLennan being drafted in to fill the wing slots. Both have only limited experience in the positions - Beard is a more natural centre, McLennan a full-back - but Solomons said he was confident that the pair would cope with the unfamiliar challenges they face.

Edinburgh put 43 points past Connacht in the equivalent fixture last season, piling on 21 of them in the last quarter of the game. With that scoring pattern in mind, prop Alasdair Dickinson, who celebrated his 31st birthday yesterday, was in no mood to predict any sort of repeat at BT Murrayfield tonight, although the fact that Connacht have made almost as bright a start as Edinburgh to the new season - they beat Newport Gwent Dragons 16-11 last weekend - may also have informed his thinking.

"It will be a brutal game," said Dickinson, with obvious feeling. "I don't think Connacht get the recognition that they deserve. Obviously Munster and Leinster have been very successful in Ireland, and Connacht are often looked upon as more of a development squad, but I've never seen them like that. They never give in and they work hard for each other. That to me is what being a team is, it's about working hard for each other. I expect a really tough game."

Dickinson began his professional career at Edinburgh - he made his Celtic League debut in season 2004-05 - and returned to the capital last year after a six-year sojourn with Gloucester and Sale. While a number of Scots seemed to fall out of favour at the club during Solomons' first season in charge, Dickinson was an exception, establishing himself as the first-choice loosehead.

Fraser McKenzie, the lock, had a less fruitful sabbatical in England, falling off the international radar screen during his three-year absence at Sale and Newcastle, but the Fife workhorse has been rejuvenated by his move back north a few months ago. He was enormously impressive in Edinburgh's pre-season friendly against Leicester at the Greenyards, and he backed that up with another performance of graft and application at Thomond Park.

"I thought he had a very good game," purred Solomons. "He is a physical, abrasive player and he gives it absolutely everything. I've certainly been impressed by what I've seen of Fraser. He is a good bloke, as are all the guys. I don't really know enough about his time in England, but he is certainly playing well at the moment."

Well enough to bring the cap that once seemed a near-certainty back into reach? "It is very early and obviously those decisions are for Vern [Cotter] to make," Solomons replied. "But it is good that he is playing well and what we want in Scotland is competition for places in the national team. That's healthy and the more we have that, the better it is for Vern and the Scotland team."

As Solomons still has Grant Gilchrist waiting to return from injury, he can be satisfied with the way the second-row selection battle is shaping up at his end of the BT Murrayfield operation as well. There was a decidedly makeshift feel about Edinburgh's boilerhouse operation, but things look rather more settled now as the consistency and competition develop. "I have confidence in the pack," said the coach. "And I also have confidence in the strength in depth of the pack."

Solomons has other forwards queuing up to make their returns, although Dave Denton may well be the last of them as he is still not expected to appear until November. Mike Coman, who was appointed club captain a couple of weeks ago, has still to carry the mantle of leadership into a competitive game, and he is limited to a bench place this evening as the knock he took as a replacement against Munster has restricted his ability to train over the past few days.

Edinburgh fans have every right to expect their side to make it two wins from two this evening, but Solomons echoed Dickinson's warning about the strength of their opponents.

"None of the Irish provinces have ever been easy touches," he said. "You always have to be very wary of Connacht, and particularly so in Galway. They have moved on a great deal and they have taken some big scalps in their time."