Gavin Kerr admits that after helping Edinburgh record a famous David Lloyd 1872 Cup first leg victory over Glasgow he now wants to fulfill two wishes in the New Year; to play regularly for Edinburgh and to add to his 50 caps for Scotland.
The experienced prop forward made his first home start of the season against the Warriors on Boxing Day alongside Allan Jacobsen and Ross Ford; a front row that contained a combined total of 109 Scotland caps.
In a fierce battle up front, Kerr played his part in providing Edinburgh’s sparkling back line with a solid platform for the game and now the 31-year-old says he wants to build on that performance by regularly fronting up for Edinburgh.
Kerr said: “I’m still hungry to play for Scotland, but I just need to get back playing regularly for Edinburgh. The game on Friday was a good start to hopefully get me back into that side of things.
“It was a good game to play in and the result was really positive. We all got stuck in, carried out our game-plan and worked as a team.
“I am still keen to play rugby. I’m still only 31, so I feel that I’ve got another three or four years left to play at the top-level.”
Despite not being a regular in Edinburgh’s number three jersey, Kerr believes the level of competition for places has made him raise the bar in terms of his own development.
He added: “The level of competition has been a good thing for me because it has made me push myself harder to get into the team.
“I have been out of the starting line-up, so I’ve been plugging away at training and trying hard to get things right.
“There is competition for places throughout the Edinburgh team and also in the national squad. It just means that you always have to be on your toes if you want to earn a place.”
Replaced by promising youngster Kyle Traynor just after the hour mark, Kerr says he actually felt quite fresh after the intense derby.
He said: “I went off after 65 minutes and I felt really good; quite fresh actually. Now I haven’t played that much I get time to settle down and stay injury-free. I’ve been getting 20 minutes here and there, so I feel fresh.”
