Edinburgh sign loosehead prop Nick Auterac

EDINBURGH have announced the signing of loosehead prop Nick Auterac from Northampton Saints. The 29-year-old, who played for Saracens, Bath and Harlequins before joining Northampton in 2020, was called up to the Scotland squad last summer but is as yet uncapped.

“Joining Edinburgh is an extremely exciting next chapter for me,” Auterac said on the team’s website. “The club has been in great form over the last few seasons.

“The city speaks for itself. I have visited briefly in the past and enjoyed that short trip, whilst everyone I have spoken to, inside and outside of rugby, cannot speak highly enough of both Edinburgh Rugby and the Scottish capital.

“The opportunity to play in not only the URC but also the Champions Cup is a challenge I am relishing. As a player, I would like to think my set piece is up there with the best and I believe I can be a world-class scrummager.

“I also like to think, for a prop, I am a pretty good runner of the ball with some speed and obviously quite a bit of weight behind me. The general high standards of the squad and club was a huge factor in me joining and wanting to develop further as a player.

“I have also been fortunate to work with Mike Blair in previous Scotland camps. We had a really good relationship and he was another major factor for me signing in Edinburgh.”

Before taking over as head coach at Edinburgh in time for the start of last season, Blair was Scotland’s interim head coach last summer when Gregor Townsend was on tour with the British & Irish Lions. Although the proposed fixtures were cancelled because of the pandemic, he was able to take the squad, Auterac included, for some training sessions.  

“Nick is a great guy who’ll fit in well with the players and staff here at the club,” Blair said. “We’re excited to welcome him to Edinburgh this summer.”

“When the opportunity to sign Nick came about, we jumped at it. Having coached him with Scotland, and watched his games in the English Premiership, we know the type of player he is and the added quality he can bring to the squad.

“We’ve got a really talented group of looseheads at the club already with Pierre Schoeman, Boan Venter and Jamie Jack – while Harrison Courtney will once again be with us on a partnership contract – but as we’ve seen with injuries and international call-ups, it’s vital to build a strong squad with players that can step up straight away.”

Born in London, Auterac was a graduate of the Saracens academy and had loan spells with London Scottish and Bedford before moving on from the English capital to Bath in 2014. He spent four years at the Rec then joined Harlequins, spending two seasons there before being recruited by Northampton in the summer of 2020.

Edinburgh will learn who they face in this year’s Champions Cup when the draw for the pool stage is made at midday tomorrow (Tuesday) in Dublin. The draw for the Challenge Cup, which features Glasgow, will also be made then.