Gilchrist in determined mood as World Cup fever heats up in Algarve
Scotland rugby player Grant Gilchrist is intent on looking forward and not back as he aims to make the World Cup squad that will head to Japan in a couple of months’ time.
The 28-year-old Edinburgh second-row had an early exit from the last showpiece event in England and Wales in 2015 when he suffered a soft tissue injury against the USA in a pool game.
This week he is in Portugal with the extended training squad of 44, with 31 of the players set to make the cut and head to Asia in September, October and November.
The man with 33 caps said: “I don’t really like looking back too much.
“I was really proud to go to the World Cup in 2015 and was obviously gutted it ended early, but I’m desperate to prove I’m good enough to go and make the squad this time around.
“My motivation hasn’t changed and it would mean so much to go to another World Cup.
“When I was selected last time, it was one of the proudest moments of my career. To be picked for your country for a World cup is huge so, if I can get on the plane this year it would mean a lot to me.”
And the former Stirling County player admits the players are being pushed hard in the heat of the Algarve since they arrived at the weekend.
“There’s certainly no hiding places at all,” he stated.
“There’s no hiding places in the gym because the strength and conditioning staff are on you all the time, making sure you’re working to a level of professionalism that fits in with this team’s ambitions and will mean that you’re the kind of man they’ll want to take to the World Cup.
“That’s a good challenge, you feel under pressure which is a good thing. It is one of our traits as a team, the energy we bring to things, so each day out here we start the sessions with intensity as we mean to go on.
“It has been warm out here, a bit warmer than I am used to, so boys have been sweating hard and trying to adapt to the heat. The heat puts your body under more stress and you can get a fitness benefit from that, it will help us to get ready for playing in hotter temperatures and it is good for actually fitness training as well.”