Grant Gilchrist reveals twin Edinburgh aims and says 1872 Cup will be 'a bit of bluff and double-bluff'

Grant Gilchrist has signed a new contract which will extend his Edinburgh stay into a 14th season but the forward believes there is still room for improvement.

Grant Gilchrist has signed a contract extension with Edinburgh Rugby which will tie him to the club until at least June 2025. (Photo by Ewan Bootman / SNS Group)

The new deal will keep him in the capital until at least June 2025 and Gilchrist says he would dearly love to help the club win a trophy before he retires.

“I made no qualms about how much I wanted to stay here, and I’m delighted that I can have another year – and hopefully beyond that as well,” said Gilchrist. “I had a plus-one on my contract and for me it was a no-brainer. I’m really passionate about this club, really determined. I think we’re on a trajectory. We’re improving. Over the course of my time at the club I think we’re in a much better place. I keep saying every week that if you look around the squad depth that we have now, the guys on the bench that are not playing, it’s the best that we’ve ever had at this club and I’m really determined to bring success to the club before I hang up the boots.

“I believe I can still get better as a player. As I’ve got older I’ve felt like I have improved, and I don’t see that stopping any time soon. I want to be better, I want to keep competing and to win for Edinburgh and to play for Scotland - that’s always going to be my goal until I retire.”

Gilchrist, 33, was a mainstay of Gregor Townsend’s side at the recent Rugby World Cup and has already said he has no intention of stepping away from the national side. He will have the chance to stake his claim for the Six Nations over the festive period when Edinburgh take on Glasgow Warriors in the 1872 Cup double-header which will see him lock horns with second-row rivals and Scotland team-mates Richie Gray and Scott Cummings.

“I don’t think there’s a derby where the players know each other so well or the teams know each other inside out,” said Gilchrist who is looking forward to trying to outwit the pair at the lineout. “There’s a bit of bluff and double-bluff. There’s a lot going on. It’s also about executing the stuff they’re going to know about us, or you as an individual, but if you do it really well, it is still really hard to stop. They’re going to know what we’re about, but can they stop it? If we play at our very best, we believe we can come out on the right end of the result.”

Gilchrist is set to go through the 200 appearances mark for Edinburgh later this season, becoming just the second player in the club’s history to reach that landmark after Allan Jacobsen.

“It would be a huge honour for me to reach 200 caps, to be up there with the absolute legends of this club is a bit surreal to be honest,” said Gilchrist, who came through the ranks at Alloa RFC and Stirling County before making his professional debut for Edinburgh in 2011 against Cardiff. “If, fingers crossed, I can make it happen, it’ll be an incredibly proud day for me and my family.”