RICHARD COCKERILL has added three Scottish qualified youngsters to his Edinburgh squad, initially on Stage 3 FOSROC Academy contracts, moving into full-time deals at the end of the coming season.
20-year-old stand-off Nathan Chamberlain, who was one of Scotland’s top performers during the recent U20 Six Nations (which included a 32-point man-of-the-match performance against Wales in the final round), is moving to the capital after playing for English Championship side Hartpury College whilst being on an academy contract with Bristol Bears last season. He was born in Bristol and qualifies for Scotland through his Fife-born paternal grandmother.
18-year-old back-row Ben Muncaster was born and introduced to rugby in North Berwick, before heading to Rugby School on a scholarship and joining the Leicester Tigers Academy when he was 14. He played for Scotland in last April’s U18 Six Nations Festival, scoring two tries in the team’s dramatic final round win over Ireland, and was selected for an England Under-18 development camp last October.
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19-year-old tight-head prop Dan Gamble came through the ranks in Kelso before heading to Merchiston Castle School on a scholarship when he was 15. He played for Scotland at Under-16 and Under-18 level, and appeared regularly for Heriot’s in Super6 at the start of last season, but missed out on the U20s Six Nations due to a neck injury.
“It’s hugely important that we continue to develop and nurture young Scottish talent, so it’s brilliant that we’ve been able to sign three very impressive age-grade players,” said Cockerill.
“Nathan – as most you will have seen in the recent U20 Six Nations – is a stand-off with excellent goal kicking ability, while his ability to read the game also stood out for us.
“Ben has come through the ranks at Leicester and has consistently improved his game year after year. He will only get better being involved and training with a talented back-row group here at Edinburgh.
“Finally, Dan is a player that we’ve liked for a while having watched him progress at Merchiston. He’s a strong ball carrier, who’s continuing to develop his own skillset at Super6 level – we’ve been really impressed.”
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