Edinburgh new boy Kyle Whyte could make debut against Ulster
He's signed a partnership deal at the club, meaning he can also play for Watsonians.
Edinburgh have signed South African-born prop Kyle Whyte and could hand him a debut against Ulster.
The 21-year-old has joined until the end of the season on a partnership deal that will see him play for BT Premiership club Watsonians when not included in the Edinburgh squad.
The former Western Province player is eligible to play for Scotland through his Inverness-born father and is eager to get started off the bench in the Guinness PRO12 clash with Ulster at BT Murrayfield.
Whyte, who made seven first-team appearances for Western Province last season, said: It's a very exciting time and prospect for me. With my dad being born here, I've always been interested in coming over to Scotland, so I'm looking forward to getting started and proving myself.''
He added: To have the opportunity to train with the likes of WP Nel is very exciting. He's someone in particular I'm keen to learn from and look to for hints and tips on the art of scrummaging.''
Edinburgh are aiming to bounce back from their shock home defeat by Zebre and acting head coach Duncan Hodge has made five changes in the pack.
Hooker Neil Cochrane has been named captain and will be joined by Jack Cosgrove and Murray McCallum in the front row. Fraser McKenzie and Jamie Ritchie come in with Grant Gilchrist and John Hardie retained by the Scotland squad.
Duncan Weir joins Whyte on the bench after recovering from a fractured jaw.
Hodge said: As a group we were very disappointed with the result and performance last week and we see (Friday's) game as an opportunity to bounce back and make amends.
We've taken the result on the chin, learned from the experience and worked hard in training to put things right ahead of this game.''
Alasdair Dickinson, Allan Dell, Ross Ford and Hamish Watson are also missing because of Scotland commitments.