Edinburgh make official their list of seven end-of-season leavers

Thursday’s confirmation that Scott Steele has retired from playing at the age of 30 has been followed by Edinburgh making official their group of seven leavers exiting the Scottish URC franchise at the end of the season.

A hip injury kept scrum-half sidelined for the whole 2023/24 campaign and his name was the final addition to an exit list that had already contained the likes of the Bristol-bound Viliame Mata.

A statement read: “Edinburgh have confirmed the seven senior men’s players that will depart the club at the end of the season. WP Nel, Viliame Mata, Charlie Savala, Luan de Bruin, Adam McBurney, Jamie Campbell, and Scott Steele will all leave at the end of the current campaign.

“Mata (Bristol Bears), Savala (Northampton Saints), de Bruin (Newcastle Falcons), and McBurney (Connacht) all join new clubs, while Steele announced earlier on Thursday his decision to retire from rugby at the end of the season.

“Double centurion Nel confirmed that he will hang up his boots at the end of the season in March, while Campbell is set to pursue playing opportunities outside of the UK this summer.”

Head coach Sean Everitt said: “I would like to thank all of our departing players for their contributions to Edinburgh during their time at the club. They have all been a valuable part of the squad and I wish them all the best in their future endeavours.

“We are grateful for the effort and commitment these players have shown throughout their time at Edinburgh. They have all played a role in the team’s success and we’ll miss them around the club dearly because of what they brought as individuals and players.

“On behalf of everyone at Edinburgh, I’d like to thank our seven departing players for their hard work and dedication. They have all been a pleasure to work with and will still have big roles to play as we aim to finish the season on a high note.”