Cross pens new deal at Edinburgh and hopes ‘to see the team grow’

THE drive to strengthen Scotland’s front-row resources has received a boost with Scotland internationalist Geoff Cross agreeing a new deal at the same time as two of Edinburgh’s most promising young props.

Cross did not consider a move away as a further indication of the growing belief among Scottish players that they can achieve Celtic and European success at club level and fulfil international ambitions here. Cross is currently focused solely on Sunday’s final Heineken Cup pool clash with London Irish and the mouth-watering prospect of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in his career.

Then he will turn his eyes to the RBS Six Nations Championship in the full knowledge that injury to Glasgow prop Moray Low and Euan Murray’s unavailability on Sundays will make him first choice for the second and third games, with Wales and France.

Lewis Niven is beginning to provide new competition for the No 3 jersey at Edinburgh and has, like Cross, agreed a two-year deal to 2014, while next on the ladder comes Robin Hislop, the 19-year-old, who has signed up to 2015.

Cross, who came through the Gala club and Border Reivers and switched to Edinburgh in 2007 when the Reivers was shut down, admitted that seeing the growing strength in depth at the club was a factor in his re-signing and general good feel about the future.

“I was attracted by the opportunities that I think are available at Edinburgh Rugby and they were interested in moving quickly to keep me, and I didn’t see any other options because I’m happy here and would like to see the team grow.

“It is healthy and beneficial for a club to have competition for places and while it may not be comfortable for the individuals involved, I believe very firmly that it does drive up individual’s performances and certainly mine.

“As for the opportunities with Scotland, the idea of being involved in the starting XV of a winning Scotland team is a very attractive proposition and I am motivated to train well and demonstrate reasons why I should be picked.”

Cross spoke of discussing the last Heineken Cup quarter-final experience with Allan Jacobsen, as one of the “senior players” in the squad who was part of the 2003-4 qualification. Cross is just four years behind Jacobsen, having recently turned 29, and, coming into a period considered a prop’s prime, has undoubtedly improved his strength and ability from when he made his Test debut against Wales in 2009.

But he knows there is nothing like on-field success to provide the reward for the extra effort and improvement put in off the field, and nothing like a solid pack effort. Edinburgh’s victory in Reading only came after a penalty miss at the end of a game in which the visitors struggled up front, and Cross is expected to face England loosehead Alex Corbisiero on Sunday in a cracking match-up.

“This season hasn’t felt too different to other seasons for me in that there are times when we have performed well and I’m really proud of those times, but the frustrating thing for us as players is that we’re not as consistent as we’d like to be,” Cross added.

“When we’re good we’re good, and when we aren’t there’s lots of stuff we know we need to work on and improve.

“Allan says these moments are precious. He remembers thinking [in 2004] ‘right, we’ve done it once, cracked that and this is something I believe we can do regularly’ and as it’s turned out it’s been another eight years before we’ve managed to get into a position to challenge to get into the knockout stages again, and that means it’s precious and important to take these opportunities, and that’s the exciting challenge.

“It is another game of rugby against a team that we know we will have to play as well as we can against if we are to beat them. They are a direct side that hit hard – speak to Dave Denton [who was carried off after a dangerous tackle at Madejski Stadium]. They have a good blitz defence and they pick their targets, so it’s going to be a physical challenge.

“We have not been happy as a pack failing to provide the backs with a consistent platform to attack off because if we provide that side of the bargain we have some of the best backs you could ask for behind us playing some really exciting and attacking rugby.”

Edinburgh have sold just over 4,000 tickets so far for Sunday’s match, but, with there never being a shortage of seats in the 67,100-capacity Murrayfield Edinburgh supporters never have to rush. A record Heineken Cup crowd of more than 8,000 is expected, and Cross is aware of the heightened expectation that the team has done the hard job of winning in London and Paris, but narrow defeats to Northampton and Cardiff in home games last season provide a sobering reminder of how it is far from fait accompli.

“There is a huge attraction,” concluded Cross, “and I have had this motivation myself in the past, to rain on someone else’s parade. The important thing for us is to play to our ability and if we do I believe we will come away with what we want.”