As Edinburgh’s resident ‘scrum doctor’, Geoffrey Dominic Sebastian Cross has developed into a valued member of the front row and is thriving under the guidance of legendary British and Irish Lions prop Tom Smith, now an assistant coach with the capital club.

While qualifying in medicine, Cross entered professional rugby by joining The Borders from Heriot's in 2003. Earlier that year, he had represented Scotland at under 21 level, playing at tight-head in the team that beat England 33-22 at Newbury in the final match of the age group’s world championship.

Born in Edinburgh and raised in Galashiels, Cross first wore the black and red in an intercity clash against Glasgow at Hughenden in December 2006 while on loan from Border Reivers.

After making 10 appearances in the front row during the 2006/2007 season, the move was made permanent. During the following season, Cross made a huge impact as a replacement during the two victories registered over Leinster in the Magners League and Heineken Cup.

As a result of his heroics at the coalface, Cross was called into the Scotland squad that won in Argentina in 2008 and he made his debut in the opening match of the 2009 RBS Six Nations Championship against Wales at Murrayfield. He returned to Argentina in 2010, a tour that saw Scotland record an unprecedented 2-0 series win.