THE challenge of playing a role in bringing on the next generation of front row talent helped persuade Alasdair Dickinson, the Scotland and Edinburgh prop, to stay in Scotland, he has revealed. He signed a three-year deal extension with Edinburgh just before Christmas and already his work is paying dividends with his young protege Rory Sutherland being promoted to the Scotland RBS Six Nations Championship squad when it was announced earlier this week.
At the time when Dickinson was exercising his signing arm by adding his signature to the club contract, he was out of action on the playing side with a torn calf muscle picked up in the lashing rain and gale-force winds of Belfast last month, just a couple of weeks after playing his 100th game for the club. Now, however, he is ready to return to action when Edinburgh head for a crucial European Challenge Cup clash with Grenoble tomorrow.
His return is timed perfectly for his own Scotland aspirations, but he knows his playing career won't go on forever, even if he has just signed a deal to keep him playing until a few weeks short of his 36th birthday. He says that while he still has a lot to achieve at the top level, he takes as much pride in the work he is doing with the likes of Sutherland.
"I try and work with Suzz [Sutherland] as much as I can," Dickinson said. "He is a great kid and he deserves to be in the Scotland squad. One day, I will be watching boys like him play for Scotland. Things are going well not just for me personally but for Scottish rugby at Edinburgh and with Scotland.
"How well the [Edinburgh] set piece is doing just now is giving me a great deal of satisfaction. In years gone by it was an area where we struggled, so it is good to get some headway there. Fordy [Ross Ford] and WP [Nel] have been immense. The guys who played when we were away at the world cup have been excellent as well. It shows we have strength in depth."
The work he does is appreciated up the ranks: "It is very important to have Dicko here for longer," said Alan Solomons, the head coach. "If you speak to Suzz he will tell you how invaluable Dicko has been in terms of advice he has given. He works a lot with the young players and adds a lot of value to the club. He is an outstanding scrum technician and a good player and bloke, with good leadership skills. He works well with the young players."
Before Dickinson can even think about the short-term future in the Six Nations, however, there is the task of trying to win a place in the quarter finals of the European Challenge Cup, the competition where Edinburgh reached the final last season, a feat they are are determined to match or better. They are bound to field all their big guns, meaning the team will be similar to the one that won the 1872 Cup earlier this month with Dickinson's return one of the few changes.
For all the strength and feelgood, this weekend's game is going to be one of their biggest tests. Like just about every French club, Grenoble have a strong pack and expect to dominate the set piece – especially playing at their home stadium. "Every French team pride themselves on the scrum and will come at us pretty hard so there is nothing new there. We have to get on with the job in hand," Dickinson said.
"They sent a real mixed bag to Edinburgh [in the reverse fixture] but this will be a different story. You saw what they did to London Irish at home [winning 28-18] and they will come at us all guns blazing.
"Last year was a great run but we came up just short. For us to qualify again would be huge. To back up getting to the final by getting back into the quarter final is tough to do. It would add to the momentum at the club – doing well in the league and winning the 1872 cup adds to the confidence. We still have to win the game, though, it will be a massive test.
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