Scotland’s professional clubs could be priced out of the market for significant summer signings after a surge in pay demands from international stars, fuelled by competition from France and England. Andy Robinson, the Edinburgh coach, says he is shocked by the increase in wage demands.

“The market has changed,” he said. “There has probably been a 50 per cent increase in foreign players’ salaries since I came here at the start of the season, so that a player who was worth £140,000 would now work out at £210,000. The thrust for us has been to keep the young players who have been performing for us, we have to make sure that Edinburgh is not seen as an academy for the English Premiership or the clubs in France, and that we develop players who really want to play for us and stay with us.”

Robinson made it clear that if the right player became available, then money could be released but there is no chance of the kind of signing spree that Glasgow were able to indulge in a year ago when the likes of Lome Fa’atau and Daryl Gibson were brought in.

“If the right player is there who can make a real difference to the squad, then we will bring him in, but there is a price to be paid for that. The difference now is that we are not at the level to compete in the bidding wars that are going on. It is more important to secure our squad and its young players. I’m not into signing journeymen, it affects the dynamics of the whole squad, it has to be the right person,” he said, adding that there is no specific player being targeted at the moment.

True to his word, yesterday he took the chance of a few injuries to bring in a number of players who have been on the fringes of the main squad, while also welcoming back Mike Blair - who is certain to retain the Scotland captaincy now that Jason White has been ruled of the summer tour - after his recovery from the concussion he suffered against Glasgow.

Robinson had more good news for Scotland fans, saying that Allan Jacobsen and Craig Smith, the props, were making good progress recovering from their injuries and it was possible that most of the other injured internationals on the club books could recover in time for the June tours.

For the Magners League match in Swansea against the Ospreys tomorrow he has to deal with 11 players being unavailable through injury while Hugo Southwell, the full back, has family commitments and is also ruled out of the game in Wales.

It means there will be a new-look front row with Augusto Allori, the Argentine prop, being joined by Geoff Cross making his first start since January, and praising the way that the coaches have lived up to their promise that any player showing up well in training and in games off the bench would be given his chance.

Edinburgh lineup

C MacRae; A Maxwell, B Cairns, N De Luca, A Turnbull; P Godman, M Blair; A Allori, R Ford, G Cross, M Mustchin, B Gissing, A Hogg (capt), A MacDonald, D Callam. Replacements: S Lawrie, K Traynor, F Pringle, S Newlands, G Laidlaw, D Blair, M Dey.