Edinburgh Rugby centurions and Scotland internationalists Stuart McInally and Grant Gilchrist will co-captain the capital club for the 2020-21 campaign.
McInally – who skippered his hometown team in both 2018-19 and 2019-20 – will remain club captain, while Gilchrist takes share of the captain’s armband following a season that saw the lock selected in the Guinness PRO14 Dream Team and named Principal & Prosper Edinburgh Rugby Player of the Season.
It’s the second time the duo – who have 299 Edinburgh Rugby appearances between them – have co-captained the club, having been handed join-custody of the position previously in 2016.
The pair are two of Edinburgh Rugby’s longest tenured stars, with McInally entering his 10th season with the club and Gilchrist his 9th, while both players came through the ranks of the club’s academy system to represent their boyhood team.
On appointing the pair as co-captains, Edinburgh Rugby Head 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.”
On being named as co-captain, McInally, said: “I am thrilled to be named co-captain alongside Grant this year. 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, added: “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. I’m excited to make the season ahead a successful one.”
Alongside today’s captaincy announcement sees experienced scrum-halves Henry Pyrgos and Nic Groom confirmed as vice-captains for the 2020-21 season. The pair continue in the combined role having backed up McInally last season.
Prygos – who has previously captained Scotland – has 28 international caps to his name, while South African No. 9 Groom has been an influential figure throughout his career, skippering the Lions during the 2018-19 Super Rugby season.
On the pair continuing as vice-captains, Cockerill, said: “Henry and Nic are two vastly experienced operators that will hopefully be with us all year round and captain the team in Grant and Stuart’s absence. Their combined knowledge of the game is really beneficial to the way we play, while they did a great job of supporting Stuart last season.
“As a club, it’s valuable to have as many experienced voices and opinions as possible, and Henry and Nic certainly bring that to the table.”
Edinburgh Rugby return to Guinness PRO14 action this Saturday (10 October, kick-off 7.35pm) as they travel to face Munster in Round 2 of the 2020-21 Championship, live on Premier Sports.
