Edinburgh statement: Signing of 'top prospect' Ewan Ashman confirmed

Edinburgh have confirmed the signing of Scotland international Ewan Ashman on a four-year deal. The hooker is currently starring for the title-chasing Sale in the Gallagher Premiership, but he has decided to return to the Scottish club where he previously enjoyed a 2019 spell on loan.

A statement read: “Highly-rated Scotland international hooker Ewan Ashman will join Edinburgh Rugby this summer on a four-year deal from Sale Sharks. The 22-year-old – who had a short spell on loan at Edinburgh in 2019 – has so far earned seven caps for Scotland since making his international debut in 2021, scoring at the corner in acrobatic fashion to help secure a famous 15-13 win over Australia at BT Murrayfield Stadium.

“A rising star for Premiership high-flyers Sharks, Ashman also excelled at age-grade level for Scotland – scoring 10 tries in 15 matches at U20 level – while the hooker has already made over 50 appearances at senior level for the Greater Manchester club.

“Born in Toronto, Canada, Ashman qualifies for Scotland through his Edinburgh-born father. He came through the ranks at Cheshire’s Sandbach RUFC and played both centre and back-row prior to switching to hooker in 2016.

“He represented Scotland throughout the age-grades at U16, U17 and U19 levels before graduating to U20, where he showcased his prolific try-scoring record – with seven tries in five games – and finished as the top try-scorer at the 2019 World Rugby U20s Championship in Argentina.

Ewan Ashman didn’t even get to train with Glasgow last month as he was urgently called back to Sale…#Sale #GallagherPrem #HeinekenChampionsCup #Glasgowhttps://t.co/GSe9G4wcJn

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 16, 2021

“The hooker’s try-scoring form continued in the U20 Six Nations, finishing as the tournament’s top try scorer as Scotland recorded a second-place finish in a Covid-19 curtailed campaign. Back with Sale, Ashman made his Premiership debut from the bench against Leicester Tigers in September 2020… and Ashman’s spectacular rise for both club and country has continued in this current campaign, his most recent try coming in last Saturday’s Challenge Cup round-of-16 defeat to Cardiff.”

Ashman said: “I’m buzzing to be joining Edinburgh, it’s a team I’ve always supported. As a city, Edinburgh has always felt like home. It’s where my family is from, and I can’t wait to move back there. I loved my short stint at the club when I was younger. It’s a great group of boys and some of my best mates I played with at age-grade are now at the core of the squad, which definitely played a factor in my decision to move.

“The ethos and energy around the club was also a big factor as I improved a lot during my time in Edinburgh. ,y spell in 2019 seems a long time ago now. I’m obviously a lot more experienced having run out over 50 times with Sale in the Premiership and Europe – I’m definitely a smarter player for that.

“But at heart, I’m definitely still the same player. I want to enjoy my rugby, impose myself through physicality and enjoy myself on the pitch. The URC is really exciting. It’s a fresh competition and an opportunity to go head-to-head with some of the best players in the world.

“Just from recent results in Europe you can see the calibre of the competition. It’s going to be class to be able play my part in that, helping Edinburgh win and measuring myself against top opposition.”

Edinburgh boss Mike Blair added: “Ewan is a top prospect and a player that Edinburgh supporters should be hugely excited about. He brings a lot of quality to the position and is only going to get better, given his relatively young age. It’s brilliant that the club has secured his signing on a long-term deal. He will be a top player for both Edinburgh and Scotland in the seasons to come.”