Local lad Kinghorn commits to the capital
Edinburgh tie down another key player for next season
EDINBURGH’s rebuilding for next season has taken another important step forward with the announcement that Blair Kinghorn has signed a new contract. The full-back, who celebrated his 24th birthday yesterday, joined back-row forwards Hamish Watson and Jamie Ritchie in committing his future to Richard Cockerill’s squad.
A press release announcing Kinghorn’s new deal did not specify its length, but it is understood to be shorter than the “long-term” contract signed by Watson, which has since been revealed to be for three years. Ritchie’s contract, hailed when announced as the longest in the history of the team, is understood to be for five years. However, regardless of the precise length of any of the recently agreed extensions, the key point is that Cockerill has now secured three of his most important players for next season at least.
As was announced last week, stand-off/centre James Lang and lock Glenn Young will join from Harlequins in the summer, strengthening the head coach’s options at stand-off/centre and lock respectively. However, it has not all been one-way traffic, because Edinburgh will lose Duhan van der Merwe and Andrew Davidson in the close season, and uncertainty remains about other important players such as Darcy Graham and Viliame Mata.
As far as Kinghorn is concerned, though, there is ample reason to believe that the team will keep improving under Cockerill – and that he personally can continue to mature as a player. “My goals personally are to keep developing to the best of my ability, keep getting better every day and every week, and keep striving for success with the club,” he said.
“I’m Edinburgh born and bred and I grew up supporting the club. The club really means a lot to me. It has a very special place in my heart.
“I was 18 when I first signed, so re-signing as I turn 24 is a bit mad. It’s been a whirlwind of a journey. I’m still on the young side when we split into ‘youngies and oldies’ in training, but I might get pushed to the oldies soon, given the number of young guys coming through.
“I’ve always played here and love representing the city. The pinnacle of that will be when we get into our new stadium
and the fans are allowed back in. I think that day will really show how much the club means to the fans, how much the players care about representing them, and how much they mean to us. It’s really something to look forward to.
“I think the future is really bright. I think the squad we’ve developed is really exciting. I feel like we’re capable of pushing on for greater things and I want to be a part of that.”
Kinghorn made his Edinburgh debut as a teenager in 2015 and has now made nearly 100 appearances for the team. His Scotland debut followed in the home win over England in 2018 and he now has 25 caps, many of which have been on the wing.
“Blair is a local lad come good, which is always nice to see,” Cockerill said. “He’s also a gifted athlete who’s developed into a fine rugby player over the past few seasons with us, and continues to get better.
“He’s racked up an impressive number of appearances and tries for club and country for someone so young and is a real asset to us in the back field, particularly in a counter-attacking sense. He’s a regular starter for us and sets a good example for those coming through on what it takes to achieve that. It’s fantastic he’s staying with us.”
Kinghorn is expected to be named tomorrow in Scotland coach Gregor Townsend’s squad for this year’s Six Nations Championship, and should also be part of the Edinburgh squad that will fly out to Italy later this week for the rearranged PRO14 game against Zebre on Saturday. Defeat by Glasgow on Saturday left Edinburgh second bottom in Conference B, behind Benetton, but they have two games in hand on Cardiff Blues, who are seven points above them in fourth.