Stuart McInally and Grant Gilchrist to share captaincy duties at Edinburgh Rugby

Stuart McInally and Grant Gilchrist have been announced as co-captains of Edinburgh.

McInally, who skippered the team in 2018-19 and 2019-20, will remain club captain, but Gilchrist will also wear the armband.

The pair are the club’s longest-serving players and were also co-captains in 2016.

McInally is now in his 10th season with Edinburgh and Gilchrist in his ninth. Both came through the ranks of the club’s academy system.

Gilchrist was Edinburgh’s player of the season and was selected in the Guinness Pro14 Dream Team.

Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill said: “Stuart and Grant are extremely experienced players that have both captained the club and Scotland in previous seasons. They are established internationalists who are both respected leaders within the changing room.

“They are both centurions and good Edinburgh men that are committed to driving this club forward. Having both players as co-captains gives us excellent depth of leadership on and off the field, while their combined experience will be key in the season to come.

“The pair will do an excellent job of leading this club together.”

McInally said: “It’s a massive honour and I know we’ll work well together on and off the field to keep driving this club forward.”

Gilchrist said: “It’s a huge honour to be named as co-captain of this club and group of players, and even better to do it with Stuart who is a great leader and friend.”

Scrum-halves Henry Pyrgos and Nic Groom have been named as vice-captains.

Edinburgh face a tough away match at Munster on Saturday having opened their season with a disappointing home defeat against Ospreys last weekend.

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