THERE will be no harking back to the Heineken Cup glory run of two years ago; this season's campaign is about reality, rebuilding and revival with no prizes being dished out for history.
That was the blunt message being drummed into the Edinburgh players as they prepare to open their European campaign at home to Munster this afternoon.
Most of the squad were involved in those giddy days when the club were the masters of fast, open rugby when the opposition was French; of crude, brutal forward play when playing an English team; and of dazzling ball-carrying against the Welsh. It all culminated in the dizzying heights of a crowd of 38,000 roaring them to quarter-final victory over Toulouse at Murrayfield.
Though there has been the odd defection and a couple of retirements, in the main the players have stayed but the magic they found in that campaign has gone. Alan Solomons, the new coach brought in days before the start of the season to right the sinking ship, is intent on replacing it with something more workmanlike and reliable.
After all, if the sudden rise into rugby's stratosphere shocked the players, pundits and fans, then so did the calamitous crash the following season when Edinburgh set a new low for the number of points scored in the tournament as they failed to win a game. In both seasons, they flirted with the bottom of the RaboDirect PRO12.
"We are looking for consistency," Solomons said. "Taking nothing away from what was a fabulous cup run, form in the PRO12 over these two years and in the Heineken Cup last season did not match it. Consistency for me is critical. It is not a fresh start for us, more a continuation. We cannot do it any other way."
For Solomons, the game will be something of a progress check. His first competitive game in charge of Edinburgh was away to Munster in early September when his team lost 34-23. Although the Irish side are much stronger than they were then, with the likes of Paul O'Connell, Conor Murray and Simon Zebo back in action after being rested from the opening weeks following their exertions for the British & Irish Lions, back in action, Edinburgh are in better shape too.
In part, that is a result of players recovering from injury. Greig Laidlaw, the captain, made his comeback last week and Matt Scott, the centre, is ready to make his first start since recovering from an ankle problem. Together with Nick De Luca, who had a damaged shoulder, they give the midfield a settled look with plenty of flair.
Up front it is a similar story. The only change in the front five is the return of Grant Gilchrist, the Scotland cap, with a point to prove. The story repeats itself in the back row with the only change being a first starting spot for Cornell Du Preez, the South African flanker Solomons brought over from Southern Kings, his former club. Du Preez was given his first run-out off the bench last week but since he was promptly sin-binned, it was hard to make any firm judgments.
As far as Solomons is concerned, it is the return of main leaders that will change things. "We have improved [from the opening game]," he said. "When we played them then we were without a number of key players, like Greig and Matt Scott. Not having them on the pitch made a difference.
"It is great to have Matt back but he has played very, very little rugby since [Scotland's] South Africa tour and he is rusty. The 65 minutes he had in Cardiff [last weekend] will stand him in good stead, though. He is highly intelligent, an outstanding young player and I am confident he will deliver a good performance."
Solomons is not finding much dissent among the players over the philosophy he has brought to the club. They know that the wildly fluctuating performances of two years ago are unsustainable. "The way we are looking at it, it is another week, another game," said Ross Ford, the hooker and former Scotland captain. "Everyone tends to get caught up in Heineken Cup fever, the fans love it and TV makes a big thing of it. It is a big competition but where we are now it is just another game on our journey to get the results we want and to be the team we want to be."
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