Gilchrist in awe of McInally over hooker gamble

GRANT GILCHRIST says best friend Stuart McInally has hit the jackpot with the Scotland captaincy six years after going all in as he gambled his career on a switch to hooker.

The Edinburgh forward was the shock choice to lead the Dark Blues into the World Cup after Gregor Townsend decided against handing former skippers Greig Laidlaw and John Barclay the armband. But the appointment came as no surprise to club-mate Gilchrist, who has watched the 29-year-old risk everything by making a belated move from flanker to the front row aged 23.

Gilchrist has no doubt McInally could have enjoyed a more than decent career operating at the back of the pack. But it was his transition to hooker that provided the springboard to the captaincy and Gilchrist says his pal is now reaping his just rewards.

“The fact Rambo [McInally] moved position at a relatively older age is remarkable. He was on the bench for Scotland as a back-rower. He was more than good enough to play for Edinburgh 100 times as a back-rower. But to be brave enough to change position and take up a role that is so technical it speaks volumes for the kind of professional he is.

“His line-out throwing is among the best in the world, yet he’s a guy who had never thrown a line-out at the age of 23 or24.That’sremarkablebutit’sdownto the fact he is so discip-lined and hardworking and he thoroughly deserves to be named skipper. He sets an example to the whole squad and is always one of our best players on the pitch. That’s what I look for in a captain.”

Scotland’s Japanese campaign gets underway a week on Sunday against Ireland. Joe Schmidt’s men are the favourites but Gilchrist says his team are in the mood to cause an upset.

“We’re not going there to make up the numbers. We’re going there to win games,” he said. “Obviously we know how hard a challenge it is to win it but that is what we’re aiming for. We know we’ll need to perform well to get out of the pool but if we do, it’s knock-out rugby from then on and who knows what could happen?”