Chris Paterson, Mike Blair and Ross Ford all featured in the fun calendar where players were snapped topless while doing their favourite hobbies – ranging from walking the dog through to fishing.
 
Scotland internationalist De Luca, who was the driving force behind the calendar, says the team embraced the project and had some fun in the process.
 
De Luca said: “It was a bit of fun and we were trying to show the nation a different side to Edinburgh’s rugby players.
 
“It also shows what else we get up to in our spare time and we hope to raise a lot of money in the process for Maggie’s, which is one of our official charities and a really good cause.”
 
The 25-year-old says the idea was first brought to life following Edinburgh’s Heineken Cup match at Stade Francais in early October.
 
The French giants are famous for producing a calendar featuring players au naturel; prompting the Edinburgh squad to want to have a go themselves.
 
He added: “After we played Stade, we were given copies of their calendar and we decided that we wanted to produce an Edinburgh one and have a bit of a laugh in the process.
 
“We were fortunate that our Supporters’ Club were keen to see it happen and we managed to get it done in a short turnaround of just three weeks.
 
“There were lots of people behind the scenes who deserve some special thanks, especially Isobel Irvine from Scottish Rugby’s Communications and Public Affairs team, our designers at Cravens and the printers, HB Rutherford.
 
“What was really pleasing was the willingness of all 36 players in our squad to get involved in the calendar. They weren’t afraid to get embarrassed by posing in some unusual shots and that shows what a great team spirit we’ve got and the togetherness within the squad.”
 
Andrew Anderson, Centre Head of Maggie's Cancer Caring Centre at the Western General, said: "We are really grateful for the on-going support from the Edinburgh Rugby Club.  The money raised goes towards the running costs of our Centre and helps us to expand upon our varied programme of support to suit the needs of the cancer population across the east coast of Scotland. 
 
"In fact we have recently been able to introduce a couple of new classes, including Frankly Speaking Workshops, where people are encouraged to speak openly on a number of aspects of their lives upon which cancer is impacting, such as fatigue, emotional distress, relationships, etc.  We can only continue to operate all of our services free-of-charge and introduce new additions to our programme due to the continued generosity from the likes of the Edinburgh Rugby Club.
 
"The calendar is a great, fun way to raise money.  Please go and buy the calendar as a Christmas present and help raise funds for Maggie's Edinburgh Centre at the same time."
 
Supporters can get their hands on a copy of the calendar (priced at £10) on Thursday by visiting the Scottish Rugby Store (situated next to Murrayfield’s West Stand) or by pre-ordering by calling 0131 346 5044.
 
Earlier this year, Edinburgh helped to raise funds for Maggie’s by growing facial hair for their inaugural ‘Sideburns Night’.
 
Edinburgh’s next home match is against English powerhouses Bath in the Heineken Cup on Saturday 19 December, kick off 1.35pm (for tickets please call 0131 346 5180).
 
ends
 
Notes to Editors about Maggie’s
 
• Maggie’s model of support empowers people to live with, through and beyond cancer.
• Maggie’s Centres offer a programme of practical, emotional and psychological support to people with cancer, their families, friends and carers. Maggie’s  support is free of charge and operates on a drop-in basis.
• There are currently five existing centres in Scotland – Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Highlands and Fife – and an interim service in Lanarkshire. New centres are planned for Lanarkshire and a second centre in Glasgow.
Maggie’s London opened in April 2008 and further centres are planned for Oxford, Cotswolds, Nottingham, Swansea and Newcastle.
 
Notes to Editors about Edinburgh Rugby Club
 
• Edinburgh’s average home crowd for the 2009/2010 season is 4,408.
• The average age of Edinburgh’s 36-man squad is just 25.
• There are currently 17 Scotland internationalists in the Edinburgh squad plus 13 Scotland ‘A’ internationalists.
• There is only one non-Scottish qualified player, Tim Visser in the Edinburgh squad
• So far this season, Chris Paterson has averaged 15 points per Magners League match.
• Last season Edinburgh recorded their highest ever finish in the Magners League (second) and won their final six matches – an all-time team record.
• Last season, Edinburgh attracted crowds of over 12,000 for the 1872 Cup match against Glasgow and over 7,000 for the Heineken Cup match against London Wasps.
 
 
For more details please contact:
 
Andrew Sleight | Media Manager | Edinburgh Rugby Club | Murrayfield | Edinburgh | EH12 5PJ
 
DDI: 0131 346 5266 | Fax: 0131 346 5269 | Mob: 07971 606 398 | E-mail: andrew.sleight@sru.org.uk | Web: www.edinburghrugby.org