Hill to boost tighthead numbers at Edinburgh

EDINBURGH have confirmed the signing of Northampton Saints prop Paul Hill on a two-year deal with the tighthead to join in the summer.

Hill will come in as a replacement for the soon to retire WP Nel with coach Sean Everitt admitting that he had been a player of interest just last week.

He will compete for a position in the team with Scotland pair Javan Sebastian and D’Arcy Rae as well as Angus Williams, with the latter two having been confirmed as signing new contracts on Monday. Rae signed a one-year extension, while Williams – who is also Scottish qualified – agreed a two-year deal.

Hill, an England international with six caps, leaves

Northampton having played nearly 200 games. He says he has got a lot more to offer at the age of 29 while naming Everitt as a key reason behind his decision to make the switch.

“This is a really exciting challenge and one that I can’t wait to get stuck into,” he said. “From everything I’ve read and heard, Edinburgh is an amazing club and city, while it will be great to test myself in a new league in the URC.

“I’ve absolutely loved my time at Northampton Saints, and I can’t speak highly enough of the people connected to the club and fans who’ve backed me throughout my career. However, after nine seasons, the time was right to move on. My family and I are really excited about this move.

“From speaking to Sean [Everitt], he’s got a really clear plan and vision for the club. He wants to win on the field while creating an environment and culture of winning off the field too. It’s something that I can buy into really easily.

“I’m an experienced player, while I’m still pretty young at 29, so I know I’ve still got a huge amount to offer. Given my experience, I can hopefully help out some of the younger Scottish props coming through the system too.

“I can’t wait to link up with the squad this summer and represent such a historic club for the next three seasons.”

Everitt said: “We’re really happy to secure the signature of a player of Paul’s quality and experience. He’s played a lot of rugby at a top level and his arrival will only help drive standards and competition at the tighthead position.

“With WP [Nel] hanging up his boots at the end of the year, it was imperative we recruited well in that department. We feel Paul has all the attributes to succeed in our pack, and he can hit the ground running straight away this summer.”