Emiliano Boffelli will make his first competitive appearance of the season on Friday night after being named in the Edinburgh side to play Zebre Parma in the United Rugby Championship. The Argentina international has recovered from back surgery and has selected on the wing for the game at Hive Stadium. His return is a huge boost for both player and club following a long-standing nerve issue which has caused him to miss large chunks of the last two seasons. Boffelli, 30, had been due to make his competitive comeback in the first URC game of the season against Leinster in September but had to pull out before kick-off. He had been due to start the game on the bench after playing 40 minutes of the previous week’s pre-season friendly against Gloucester. He underwent a surgical procedure last summer on the nerve issue after playing just seven times for Edinburgh over the course of the 2023-24 campaign. His last competitive game for the club was the win over Cardiff on April 27. Sean Everitt said his return was a testament to the work he had put in on his rehabilitation after undergoing further surgery. “We’re delighted to welcome Emiliano back to the team,” said Everitt. “He has worked incredibly hard to return to full fitness and I know how proud he is to be pulling on the Edinburgh jersey once again. “It’s great to be back at Hive Stadium, playing under the Friday night lights. Zebre Parma are a team we have a huge amount of respect for and we know they’ll be travelling with confidence after winning [v Ulster] in Belfast last time out. “However we’re really excited about the team we’ve got out tomorrow night and we’ll be going hell for leather to get a win for our home support.” Boffelli’s inclusion is one of eight changes made to the side that lost to Scarlets last month. Fellow winger Ross McCann returns from a calf injury to start, while Mosese Tuipulotu, at inside centre, and Ross Thompson, at stand-off, also join the starting backline. Scotland squad players D’Arcy Rae, Marshall Sykes, Luke Crosbie, Paddy Harrison and Matt Currie are all available and will start against Zebre. Crosbie will captain the team. Tom Currie, the younger brother of Matt who made his debut at Parc y Scarlets last month, makes his first professional start at No 8. But Ben Muncaster and Harry Paterson both miss out due to concussion. The Edinburgh players will wear the socks of their boyhood teams against Zebre as part of the BKT United Rugby Championship’s ‘Origin Round’, as the league encourages teams, players and fans to celebrate the communities and people who helped launch the careers of hundreds of rugby players and coaches. Edinburgh v Zebre Parma, Hive Stadium, Friday, 7.35pm (origin clubs in brackets) 15. Wes Goosen (Old Boys University) 14. Emiliano Boffelli (Duendes) 13. Matt Currie (Dumfries Saints/ Merchiston Castle School) 12. Mosese Tuipulotu (Greenock Wanderers RFC/ South District Pirates) 11. Ross McCann (Melrose/ GB 7s) 10. Ross Thompson (Stewart’s Melville College) 9. Ali Price (West Norfolk RFC/ Wisbech Grammar) 1. Boan Venter (High School de Aar) 2. Paddy Harrison (Peebles RFC) 3. D’Arcy Rae (Marr RFC) 4. Marshall Sykes (Ayr RFC/ Woodbridge) 5. Glen Young (Jed-Forest RFC) 6. Luke Crosbie (Currie Chieftains, capt) 7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Accies) 8. Tom Currie (Dumfries Saints/ Merchiston Castle School) Replacements 16. Harri Morris (Melrose RFC) 17. Robin Hislop (Langholm RFC) 18. Paul Hill (Doncaster Knights) 19. Sam Skinner (Topsham RFC) 20. Liam McConnell (Boroughmuir RFC) 21. Ben Vellacott (Barnstaple RFC) 22. Ben Healy (Nenagh Ormond RFC) 23. James Lang (RGC/ London Irish Amateur)