Edinburgh centre Chris Dean will follow esteemed company into the club’s 150-cap club this weekend, and he’s over the moon to have hit the milestone after almost a decade at the club.  

While not one of the squad’s household names, the former Scotland Sevens man is an ever-reliable option, more commonly at inside centre but this season, also on the wing. 

He’s on the bench for the trip to Cardiff having started in the number 12 jersey in last week’s bonus point win over Scarlets, while he featured on the left wing in the Challenge Cup defeat to Sharks.  

While admitting it has been a challenge, Dean said he’s happy to put his hand up for selection in any position.  

Dean said: “Sean [Everitt, head coach] joked that usually as you get older you move in the way, but maybe I’ve still got a bit of life in the legs.  

“I believe my best position is inside centre but you have to do the job that’s asked of you.  

“Every time I take the field whatever position, I aim to do the best I can for the club.” 

The high point of Dean’s Edinburgh career was the 2018/19 season, when he forged a formidable midfield partnership with another former Scotland Sevens man, James Johnstone, and helped the club to the Champions Cup quarter-finals.  

Dean, whose rugby journey started at North Berwick RFC, was called into the Scotland squad for the 2019 Six Nations. That elusive cap has evaded him thus far, and now 30, Dean is realistic about his future prospects.  

Scotland Rugby News:

“As you get older, those opportunities become harder and there has to be a bit of a changing of the guard,” he said.  

“If I was able to string a good set of games together, you never know. I would never say never and the dream is always still there." 

Without international honours to celebrate, the former Edinburgh Academy pupil is keen to make the most of his club accolade.  

He will surpass Marcus di Rollo as Edinburgh’s most-capped centre, while joining the likes of Grant Gilchrist, WP Nel, Chris Paterson, Ross Ford and Mike Blair in the 150-cap club.  

Dean added: “I am incredibly proud to reach 150 games. If you’d suggested to me when I started 10 games ago, I’d have laughed, but it is a privilege to have played as many times as I have.  

“It’s crazy to think my name is up there with these guys. There are a lot of them I grew up watching and idolised, and great names who have become great friends.  

“To join the club is certainly a special thing. 

“To think I’ll be the most-capped centre to represent the club is certainly something I can be massively proud of. I’ve given a lot over the years and to know I’ve represented the most in the midfield is an added bonus.” 

Putting his own milestone to one side, Dean knows Edinburgh must return from the Welsh capital with a win – and ideally a try bonus point – to maintain their push for the play-offs.  

“The firm focus is on getting the result at the weekend,” he said.  

The centre is one of only a handful of players – along with Gilchrist and Nel – who were around for the run to the 2015 Challenge Cup final, where they lost to Gloucester.  

He believes the experiences earned by a couple of Scotland internationals elsewhere can help Edinburgh to take that next step and win a first major trophy. 

READ MORE: Edinburgh change six for Cardiff as Emiliano Boffelli back

“Recruiting guys like Ben Healy, who he’s been and done it – he knows what it’s like to win the URC with Munster, and Sam Skinner too, he’s won the Champions Cup and the Premiership and got a huge amount of experience with Exeter.  

“That is a great shift in mentality.” 

Dean said they are keen to shake the tag of being perennial underachievers.   

“The talent is unbelievable. I do believe the talent is there to go and win something. 

“The real step is unlocking the belief that we can go and win something. I do think that will take time.  

“For any guys who’ve been here for a long time, it [the underachieving tag] haunts us. We all want to win something - we just need to fully believe in it.”