Patterson Promptly Proves Preciousness

Rugby

Hector Patterson has provided immediate confirmation of just what a coup it has been for Edinburgh Rugby to retain his services.

The gifted 21-year-old scrum-half was reportedly being targeted by English Prem and French Top14 clubs, with the situation complicated by him being qualified for England.

But he ended all the speculation last week by signing a contract extension which will keep him at Edinburgh until 2028.

He then celebrated that new deal with a two-try Player of the Match display in the 31-10 bonus point victory over the 10Bet Lions at the Hive Stadium.

That made it four wins out of four for Edinburgh in the Vodacom URC and they remain top of the table going into this Saturday’s clash with Benetton Rugby in Treviso.

The livewire Patterson has been integral to that flying start to the season and there has been some surprise expressed at his omission from the Scotland squad for the upcoming Nations Championship.

Edinburgh are certainly delighted about what the young man is producing for them, with head coach Sean Everitt highlighting his second try against the Lions off a tap and go from a penalty some 30 metres out.

“Part of our DNA is we want to play fast and that quick tap from Hector there probably took the arm wrestle away from the Lions,” he said.

“It was a really important turning point in the game.

“I’m glad that the youngster had the courage to do that. Sometimes they are afraid of making mistakes, but he put in a really good all round performance.”

On keeping hold of Patterson, Everitt said: “We were delighted to get the deal over the line.

“Hector has a huge amount of potential. He’s gutsy and he cares about winning. We think he can be a big player for this club for years to come.”

Adding his thoughts, Edinburgh skipper Matt Currie said: “You see the energy he brings and the tempo he plays at.

“He’s not hanging about, he’s getting the ball moving and that’s exactly what we want. We want to be playing fast and he is driving the tempo that way.”

Giving his own assessment on the five-try victory over the Lions, Hawick RFC product Patterson said: “It was good. We were really happy.

“We just wanted to come out and play our game.

“We know they are a big physical side. We thought if we put them into multiphase and kept knocking away, we could hopefully get some tries at the end, like we did.

“The Lions don’t go away, they are an 80 minute team. So we spoke about winning the first 20 minutes and the last 20 minutes too. I think we did that very well. Happy days.”

Hector – the son of ex-Scotland No 9 Derrick Patterson – is forming an effective half-back partnership with the experienced James Grayson who has come on board from Japan.

“Having him at 10 helps me a lot,” said the youngster.

“He’s bossing me around and I probably need that. He said the other day he can give me a clip around the lug!”

As for his contract extension, the boy from the Borders says: “I’m really proud to have signed a new deal with Edinburgh. This is my club and I honestly didn’t want to be anywhere else.

“I love the direction we’re heading in this season. The attacking style that’s been brought in suits the way I want to play.

“We’ve got a great group of young players coming through, alongside some really experienced guys who do a brilliant job of leading the squad.

“It’s an exciting time to be at Edinburgh. There’s a lot ahead of us and I can’t wait to be part of it.”

Former Scotland U20s international Patterson made his debut for the club against Zebre Parma in April of this year, marking the occasion by touching down, and now has five tries from nine appearances, having started every game so far this season.