Ross Ford and Tom Brown among seven players leaving Edinburgh in the summer

Ross Ford will depart Edinburgh after 11 years and more than 190 appearances. Picture: SNS Group

Ford, who turns 35 later this month, has made 197 appearances for the Gunners and has 110 Scotland caps - one more than previous record-holder Chris Paterson - plus three World Cup appearances.

The hooker currently holds the record for the highest number of appearances for Edinburgh, and will be joined by fellow centurion and internationalist Tom Brown, who has made 118 appearances in his nine years with the club.

Scrum-half Sean Kennedy, who has been with Edinburgh since 2011, is also departing after 66 appearances while Scotland international back-row Luke Hamilton will also leave the club.

Kennedy’s fellow half-back Nathan Fowles is also on the move and will join Elaing at the end of the season after 71 appearances since 2015.

Back-row Sentiki Nayalo will join Coventry in the close season after making three appearances since his arrival from London Irish last year.

Scotland prop Allan Dell’s departure was confirmed in January, with the 27-year-old set to join London Irish for the 2019/20 campaign.

Speaking about the departures, Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill said: “We first and foremost want to thank all the departing players for their hard work, commitment and professionalism during their time at the club.

“They all leave with our upmost respect and we wish them all the best in their future rugby endeavours.

“[Ross Ford] is, and will go down in history as, one of the great Edinburgh and Scotland players. He’s a credit to the game with his work ethic, both on and off the pitch, while his playing record speaks for itself.  “I’ve got no doubt that he will be a success in whatever he decides to do in the future.”

His try-scoring appearance against Leinster last month saw Ford surpass Cardiff Blues hooker Matthew Ress in becoming the second most-capped player in the PRO14 competition, with 203 appearances to his name.