Rugby: Chris Paterson has no intention of winding down his career

Chris Paterson has revealed he hopes to go down a route that will see him become a rugby equivalent to footballing evergreens such as David Weir and Ryan Giggs.

The full back, who recently turned 33, is on course to play in a fourth World Cup later this year and made it clear there will be other fields to conquer, including with Edinburgh, on returning from New Zealand - if selected

"I have no plans to stop playing. Your body dictates a lot, of course, and at the moment I feel good and I just want to continue to improve and I'm as enthusiastic as ever," said Paterson, who signed a two-year deal with Edinburgh in February 2010. In achieving 104 caps so far, Paterson has proved durable enough to join an elite group capped over three decades. "I'm a great believer in dealing with what is in front of you," he said when helping publicise the 2012 Olympic torch relay.

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Paterson added: "More people than me have adapted better. Take Jim Telfer who has been involved in 40 years of rugby coaching and think of the developments there have been there particularly in developing from an amateur to a professional game.

"Plenty of others played for Scotland through both and I came in right at the end of the amateur era although I was first capped effectively out of Gala. You learn to adapt by using the advice of people around you."

Paterson takes nothing for granted about being included when Scotland's provisional 40-strong World Cup squad is cut to 30, and he hopes heavy Edinburgh involvement will rekindle the spirit of 2003 when players returned and then helped achieve a Heineken European Cup quarter-final spot.

"I don't know how many players Edinburgh will lose and you hope it is more rather than fewer; the immediate aftermath of the 2003 World Cup produced one of our best seasons," said Paterson.

Meanwhile Edinburgh forward Scott Newlands has signed for French club Oyonnax.