Edinburgh: Bill Mata ruled out for up to two months

Fiji international back-row will miss the start of Edinburgh’s Pro14 campaign

Edinburgh have suffered a blow ahead of the new season with Bill Mata ruled out for up to two months.

The Fiji back-row will have surgery on Thursday after damaging ankle ligaments in the European Challenge Cup quarter-final loss to Bordeaux on 19 September.

And head coach Richard Cockerill says he will not be able to bolster his squad, who begin with a Pro14 meeting at home to Ospreys on Saturday.

“Bill is pivotal to us so it’s disappointing,” said Cockerill.

“He will probably be six to eight weeks, meaning he will miss the first two rounds of the Pro14 with us then the international period with Fiji.

“We’ve got good cover with Nick Haining and Magnus Bradbury, but certainly for Edinburgh and Fiji that will be a blow.”

Scottish Rugby faces losses of £30m if fans do not return to stadiums this season. And Cockerill – braced for an unprecedented strain on his squad from international fixtures – admitted the ongoing financial uncertainty is a “concern”.

“We won’t be adding to the squad, that’s for sure,” he said.

“There’s going to be more Test matches than ever this season – that’s a financial necessity. There won’t be any complaints from me. It is an opportunity to build our depth with young guys coming through.”

Edinburgh return to action four weeks four weeks after ending last season’s Pro14 with defeat in their first semi-final, going down 22-19 at home to Ulster.

That was followed by the loss away to Bordeaux, but Cockerill insists there are plenty of positives to take into the new campaign.

“Actually we’re doing some very good things,” he added. “We’re a good side and have developed our style out of sight in the last 12 months.

“This team has come on leaps and bounds in the last 12 months.”