Charlie Savala signs Edinburgh extension - contract length, what he had to say, Mike Blair reaction

Charlie Savala has capped a breakthrough season at Edinburgh by signing a new-long term contract with the capital club.

The 22-year-old has penned a three-year extension after making 16 appearances, eight as a starter at stand-off, during the current campaign. Born in Sydney, Savala qualifies for Scotland through his Ayr-born father. He joined Edinburgh in October 2020 from the rugby league side Sydney Roosters.

“I’m absolutely delighted to re-sign," Savala said. "Edinburgh is home for me now and I feel honoured every time I pull on the jersey and represent the club. There’s no better feeling than playing footie with your mates and that’s exactly how I feel being part of this group of players.”

Savala has been vying with Blair Kinghorn and Jaco van der Walt for the Edinburgh number 10 jersey while Ben Healy will add to the competition when he joins from Munster in the summer. "Edinburgh is the perfect place for me to continue my development as a player," Savala continued. "We’ve got a brilliant group of 10s at the club and there’s isn’t a day where we’re not challenging each other to get better.

Charlie Savala has signed a new contract extension with Edinburgh Rugby. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

“I’ve loved this season so far and it’s been awesome to win the trust of the coaches too. I’ve been handed starts in some pretty big games for the club and that’s only made me feel more confident as a stand-off. I feel like I’m getting better and better every match I play and, with the great players we’ve got at this club around me, I know I can keep pushing on to that next level."

Edinburgh head coach Mike Blair added: “Charlie is a brilliant guy to have around the club. He’s hugely self-driven and strives to get better every day while his confidence is infectious – he really brings out the best in the players around him.

“We want to see Charlie continue to grow and mature as a player and he’ll definitely do that with more minutes under his belt.”

“We’ve been impressed with his contributions this season so far and we’ve seen a different side to his game at times – with a bigger emphasis on game-management.

“Charlie is obviously Scottish qualified and still relatively young at 22, so we’re delighted that we’ve been able to retain his services on a new long-term deal.”