The Making Of Grant Gilchrist

We track the journey of the second-row stalwart whose value to Scotland can't be overstated

-  MARK PALMER

GRANT GILCHRIST has been a key part of the Scotland set-up for close to a decade, having done his national service under coaches Scott Johnson, Vern Cotter and Gregor Townsend.

He has established himself as one of the most consistent locks in the European game. And yet, despite having the firm trust of his coaches and the admiration of team-mates and peers, the Edinburgh co-captain can still be under-appreciated by pundits and supporters alike, some of whom struggle to understand why the great Paul O’Connell handpicked the Scot as his preferred successor when he left French giants Toulon. Back then the Scottish Rugby Union fought tooth and nail to keep the experienced forward at the capital side and he has remained a one-club man with Edinburgh.

We asked some of those figures who know him best to articulate why he is so important for club and country, and give us more of an insight into what makes the stalwart tick…

The boilerhouse buddy

Steve Turnbull was the other half of the lock pairing when Gilchrist made his Edinburgh debut against Cardiff in 2011

“It was always obvious that he had something special. We were playing in the same position and he was a couple of years younger, so there was an element of competition and intrigue there because you didn’t want him to take your place, but he was destined to do that because of the quality he has.