Sean Everitt says Edinburgh will benefit from the lack of their players selected for Scotland's Nations Championship fixtures, but the "opportunity" will come if they keep performing to the level they have been this season.

The capital side have started the campaign in blistering form, in stark contrast to previous seasons, leading the URC table prior to travelling to face Benetton on Saturday.

With just five Edinburgh players selected for national duty compared to 19 representing Glasgow Warriors, head coach Everitt believes it is a short-term bonus.

"It is to our advantage that we can have consistency in our selection and consistency in our training and preparation week," he said.

"That's really important for us. At the same time, we feel for those players but they're young and they don't have that much experience in the URC.

"So, it's understandable why they haven't yet been selected. For them, it's about putting in good performances week in and week out and keep knocking on the door and eventually, that opportunity will come.

"The message to them is that they've got opportunities and they've got to keep knocking on the door."

Everitt is keen for his squad not to get too carried away despite leading second-placed Glasgow by a point after four games, with an opportunity to extend their winning form against second-bottom Benetton.

"It's great that we're winning at the moment," he said. "We're only going into round five of the URC and there's a long way to go.

"The team has won and these youngsters like winning now and have experienced winning and know that they're capable of topping teams.

"It gives you confidence to continue growing what you are doing. Sometimes when you're not getting the result, you're looking for a different way to play. This season has been different for us."