Flanker Roddy Grant has been handed the Edinburgh captaincy after only one season as a professional player.
Inexperienced flanker to replace Blair
Flanker Roddy Grant has been handed the Edinburgh captaincy after only one season as a professional player.
The 23-year-old, who joined the Magners League outfit on a full-time basis in the summer of 2009, will take over the role from scrum-half Mike Blair.
Grant impressed while skippering the side in the final two matches of last season, prompting head coach Rob Moffat to hand him the role permanently.
"This is a proud day and a massively exciting opportunity for me," Grant told Edinburgh's official website.
"It's an honour just to be an Edinburgh player, so to be named captain is one of the best things that's ever happened to me.
"I'm going to work as hard as I possibly can to make a success of the job and to ensure the team has a great season. All the ingredients are there for that to happen."
Ready
Moffat says he had no hesitation in handing Grant the responsibility of being captain despite his inexperience at the top level of the game.
He said: "Everything we've seen from Roddy since he came into the Edinburgh fold has shown him to be a mature and confident rugby player who can handle anything that's thrown at him.
"He has the respect of his coaches and his team-mates and performed well when we made him captain for those games last season.
"He will have the full support of an experienced group of players, and I'm absolutely convinced he'll seize what is a fantastic opportunity for him.
"He sets high standards for himself, and he'll set high standards for those around him."
Blair, a co-captain of Scotland alongside Chris Cusiter, remains at the club after signing a new two-year contract in February and has given Grant his full backing.
