The back three on Friday is Wes Goosen, their best player last season, and Scotland’s all-time leading try-scorers, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe.
On paper, that’s an outstanding trio, but in reality, Van der Merwe hasn’t done it for Edinburgh for a while.
Since moving back up the road from Worcester in 2022 he’s scored 16 tries in 41 games for his club. In the same period he’s scored an astonishing 23 tries in 33 games for Scotland.
He gets more chances with a Scotland team orchestrated by Finn Russell and built to attack, but Graham is in the same boat and his Edinburgh record outstrips Van der Merwe’s.
Edinburgh need both of them firing, both of them looking for ball and rampaging. Van der Merwe has only scored once for Edinburgh this season. When asked if he’s suffering a Lions hangover, Everitt says no.
“I think it’s just the injuries that have plagued him,” adds the coach. “Prior to the Lions tour, he struggled to get back and maybe didn’t have enough game-time. I’ve chatted to him around consistency and performance, but that will come with game-time.
“Hopefully he can get a good run in before the Six Nations, which will get him back to his best. We’ve certainly got plans in place for him to get there.”
Everitt has loaded his bench against Gloucester, a 6-2 split with Pierre Schoeman and Ewan Ashman two of the six. His starting front-row – James Whitcombe, Harri Morris and Ollie Blyth-Lafferty – is callow but the back-up is vastly experienced.
Everitt’s second-row is without Grant Gilchrist and Sam Skinner but Callum Hunter-Hill and Glen Young are tough operators.
His back-row of Liam McConnell, Freddy Douglas and Magnus Bradbury with Ben Muncaster in reserve is formidable.
Despite a long list of injured forwards, that pack has aggression and grunt written all over it. As ever, how to make the best of their hard yards is the conundrum.
Ross Thompson keeps the 10 jersey with James Lang and Matt Currie in the midfield. After using five different combinations at centre this season, Everitt seems to have settled on that one.
The coach continues to bat away questions about his own future, but this is the type of game that will determine what future, if any, he has in the capital. Does he deserve to stay? Does he even want to stay?
All of that is on the backburner. For now, the only thing that matters is Edinburgh’s search for the holy grail of consistency. On their home patch, they should win and maybe win with that bonus point. As ever with Edinburgh, though – seeing is believing.
