Roddy Grant will captain Edinburgh in season 2010/11, reward for an outstanding first year as a professional player. The 23-year-old flanker, who only joined the capital club on a full-time basis last summer, will lead the side in their forthcoming Magners League and Heineken Cup campaigns. Grant skippered the team in the final two matches of last season, against Ulster and Leinster, and impressed sufficiently to convince head coach Rob Moffat to offer him the role on a permanent basis.

Grant, who was part of the Scotland A squad that won the IRB Nations Cup in 2009, represented his country in the same competition last month. He boasts vast experience with the Scotland 7s team and has quickly established a reputation as a confident, inspirational member of the Edinburgh set-up. He was voted the Players' Player of the Year and club Young Player of the Year last term.

Reflecting on his appointment as captain, the openside told www.edinburghrugby.org: “This is a proud day and a massively exciting opportunity for me. 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.”

LISTEN TO RODDY'S FIRST INTERVIEW AS EDINBURGH CAPTAIN ON BLACK AND RED RADIO BELOW

Moffat, meanwhile, has praised his young skipper’s leadership qualities, believing him to be wise beyond his years. The Borderer told www.edinburghrugby.org: “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 teammates 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.”

Moffat went on to praise the work of outgoing captain Mike Blair, whom he expects to remain a major influence in the leadership of the team. The head coach said: “I've had a number of good discussions with Mike, and we both agreed that it would be a good ideal to widen our pool of leaders. Nothing has changed in terms of how we want Mike to influence others: given how well he reads the game, and how respected he is by his teammates, we expect him to still be one of the biggest voices.”

Grant, who was born in Botswana to Scottish parents and schooled in South Africa, revealed that Blair had already offered words of congratulations. The 2008 recipient of the prestigious John Macphail Scholarship said: “I’m grateful to Mike for wishing me luck in the role and I’m looking forward to having his support going forward. I’m confident I have the respect of my teammates and will be doing everything I can to justify the faith that the coaches have shown in me.”

Speaking exclusively to Black and Red Radio, Blair said he would continue to lead from the front. He confirmed: “It’s been an absolute honour to captain my home-town team and I’m really looking forward to helping the club continue the growth we’ve all seen in the last few seasons.

“I’m going to approach my rugby in exactly the same manner as before, giving as much as I possibly can as both an individual and a leader, and Roddy can expect my full support. He’s got an exciting future ahead of him, as do Edinburgh generally. The potential that exists in this team was the main reason I decided to stay and sign my new contract.”

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH MIKE ON BLACK AND RED RADIO BELOW

Grant’s first match as Edinburgh captain will be the pre-season friendly against Bath at the Recreation Ground on Saturday 20 August (kick-off 3.15pm). The club’s first Murrayfield date of the new campaign is the clash with London Irish on Friday 27 August (kick-off 7.30pm). CLICK HERE to buy tickets, or call 0131 346 5180 

JOIN RODDY GRANT AND THE REST OF EDINBURGH'S HEROES AS THEY TAKE ON THE CREAM OF EUROPEAN RUGBY IN THE MAGNERS LEAGUE AND HEINEKEN CUP. SEASON TICKETS, INCLUDING THE FANTASTIC EDINBURGH CREW DEAL (WHICH ALLOWS AN ADULT AND CHILD TO SEE ALL THE MURRAYFIELD ACTION FOR JUST £200) ARE ON SALE NOW. CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE OR CALL 0131 346 5180