Edinburgh’s Grant Gilchrist has ignored overtures from European champions Toulon and signed a new deal with the capital club that will keep him at BT Murrayfield for another year.
The lock forward, who has suffered through the last two seasons with nagging injuries, was, according to reports in the French media, being courted by the mega-rich Cote D’Azur club who have won the European Cup in the last three seasons.
However, the former Alloa RFC player has agreed a year’s extension to stay with Edinburgh.
“I’m delighted to be staying and really excited about next season,” said Gilchrist, who due to injuries has played only part of one game for Edinburgh in 2015 and 2016. “This is the club I have grown up with. I came through the academy here and I’ve been part of the first team for five years.
“I care a lot about the club and I really believe we’ve got the players and the culture to have prolonged success.”
Gilchrist came up through the Alloa and Stirling County clubs, representing Scotland through the age grades and established his place in the Edinburgh team after being the recipient of the MacPhail Scholarship which allowed him to spent a summer at the Canterbury high performance unit in New Zealand.
He was first capped for Scotland in 2013 and captained his country during the 2014 summer tour before an arm break cost him much of the 2014-15 season.
He returned to action for Scotland in the Rugby World Cup but a groin tear ended his tournament early, and, when he returned to action for Edinburgh in February, a second, unrelated arm injury led to more time out.
“The last couple of years have been a frustration for me but I’m looking forward to being fully fit for pre-season,” he continued. “I’m really hungry to play for Edinburgh again and looking forward to giving my all.”
On-loan stand-off Jason Tovey goes straight into the playmaking role for Edinburgh as they seek the bonus point win that will keep their European qualification hopes alive against Zebre at BT Murrayfield tonight.
The Welshman, a surprise acquisition from the Dragons just a couple of weeks after they let Greig Tonks depart for London Irish, slots in at 10 with Phil Burleigh, who has been manning the position for the past few months, moving to his more accustomed role at inside centre.
Tovey is a skilful runner and kicker in the Welsh tradition who was tipped for big things coming out of age-group rugby but never quite reached the levels expected after two spells at the Dragons and a year at the Cardiff Blues.
He was seeking a change of scene from Rodney Parade and is now charged with injecting some bite into the Edinburgh attack, who have returned just one solitary try bonus this season. They trail both Glasgow and Ulster by four points in seventh place in the Guinness PRO12 despite having won 10 games, the same as both those clubs.
Try bonuses have proved elusive for the capital club throughout Alan Solomons’ tenure as coach, with just six recorded in the last three seasons compared to Glasgow’s 17 over the same stretch.
But there’s no question that a four-try win over second-bottom Zebre is absolutely essential if Edinburgh are to hold on to hopes of qualification for the European Rugby Champions Cup next year their stated target at the start of the campaign.
Solomons acknowledged that yesterday, saying: “Every game is absolutely vital for us now and it is imperative that we deliver on Friday night.”
He recalls skipper Mike Coman for his 50th cap for Edinburgh on the blindside in place of Jamie Ritchie, who is out with a hamstring injury, while Hamish Watson continues at openside in the absence of John Hardie, who is nursing groin and neck injuries.
Sean Kennedy will start at scrum-half in place of Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, who is on the bench with Alan Dell and Will Helu also recalled as replacements.