Edinburgh captain Grant Gilchrist is confident that both he as an individual and his team as a whole are improving and can keep on doing so for some time to come. And, speaking after agreeing a one-year contract extension that will take him close to his 34th birthday, the Scotland lock explained that improvement is why he has no intention of retiring any time soon.
“I’m absolutely delighted that I can have another year - and hopefully beyond that as well,” Gilchrist said. “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. 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. 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. I think it’s clear over my career I’ve improved massively from when I was younger, even from halfway through my career. And I don’t see that stopping any time soon.
“I truly believe I’ve played my best rugby in the last few years: that is a credit to Edinburgh, to the work that has been done day in, day out here.
“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.”
Asked how far into the future he was thinking, Gilchrist added: “I’m not. I’m just keeping enjoying my rugby. Keep putting my hand up, and when I’m not good enough, that’ll be fine.
“I’ve been doing a bit of coaching on the side for a number of years. It’s something that I will do more of as I’m getting older, but at the minute I’m fully focused on being the best player I can be, because that’s why I’m here.”
Gilchrist’s commitment to his only professional club has been second to none since he signed in 2011. He is due to make his 195th appearance in tomorrow night’s 1872 Cup match against Glasgow at Scotstoun, and is now just a handful of games from becoming the second player to play 200 games for the capital side behind ex-Scotland prop Allan Jacobsen.
“It would be a huge honour for me to reach 200 caps,” he added. “If, fingers crossed, I can make it happen, it’ll be an incredibly proud day for me and my family.”
Although he has been involved in the derby for over a decade, familiarity with the fixture has not bred any contempt in Gilchrist. Far from it.
“They don’t get any bigger,” he insisted. “I’ve played in a lot of them and I get just as excited about every single one. It’s a special week, going up against your rivals, especially this year when we believe we are two of the best teams in the URC. That is credit to Scottish rugby and we want to go out and prove we’re the better one.
“We’re fully focused on trying to win the 1872 Cup, but the league points are arguably more important. Both teams are right in the mix and pushing for that top eight or top four which would mean a home quarter-final. That is the goal of the Scottish teams.”
Senior coach Sean Everitt added: “Grant loves playing for Edinburgh and that’s been hugely apparent since I joined the club in the summer. He’s a true one-club man that takes a huge amount of pride in representing this team and putting his body on the line for his team-mates.
“We’re very happy that Grant has opted to stay with Edinburgh. He’s a guy that wears his heart on his sleeve.
“He’s proud to play for Edinburgh, he lives the club, and is very influential in his role as a leader within this team and backs that up with good performances. He’s got strong leadership skills and I think the club is very fortunate to be able to keep hold of him.”
