Ewan Ashman joins Edinburgh from Sale Sharks on long-term deal

Edinburgh have pulled off a significant transfer coup with the signing of Scotland international hooker Ewan Ashman from Sale Sharks on a four year deal.

Ewan Ashman played in Scotland's Six Nations win over Italy. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group)

Ashman, 22, has been capped seven times and is widely seen as a Scotland regular of the future. He was in Gregor Townsend's recent Six Nations squad but his involvement was limited by the form of George Turner and Fraser Brown, although he did appear a s a replacement in the final game against Italy.

Ashman announced himself on the Test stage with a spectacular try against Australia on his Scotland debut in autumn 2021. He then toured Argentina with the national side last summer. He joins an Edinburgh side who have a mix of very experienced and up and coming hookers. Stuart McInally has been a mainstay of the capital club for more than a decade and, along with fellow Scotland man Dave Cherry, the pair have been Edinburgh's frontline hookers. Adam McBurney has provided competition in the position over the last couple of seasons and Patrick Harrison has also emerged as a contender for the No 2 jersey.

Ashman was born in Canada but his father is from Edinburgh and the player said joining felt like a homecoming. He had a short spell on loan at the club in 2019 but it was disrupted by injury. “I’m buzzing to be joining Edinburgh, it’s a team I’ve always supported,” he said. “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.”

Edinburgh are currently searching for a new head coach after Mike Blair indicated he would be stepping down at the end of the season. They are continuing to recruit, and Ashman’s signing follows that of scrum-half Scott Steele from Harlequins, which was announced on Wednesday.