Hawick lock Toby Overson and Melrose prop Oliver Anderson join academy at United Rugby Championship club Edinburgh
Hawick lock Toby Overson and Melrose tighthead prop Oliver Anderson have been signed up by United Rugby Championship club Edinburgh’s academy.
They’re among ten new recruits joining 13 players keeping their places in the capital city outfit’s youth set-up.
Scotland under-19 lock Overson, formerly with Norfolk’s North Walsham Vikings, is one of four Scottish-qualified players joining up, along with fellow lock Archie Appleby, scrum-half Matthew Fick and centre Harry Soboil.
Anderson, previously at Dunbar and Edinburgh’s Stewart’s Melville College, is one of six players to graduate from the Scottish Rugby Union’s national talent pathway, alongside wingers Daniel Kelly and Ben McDonald, centre Harry Clark, scrum-half Adam McKenzie and back-rower Harry Jackaman.
Named as the Greenyards club’s young player of the season at their 2026 awards night last month, he’s also one of two Melrose players signed up by academies this month, following fly-half Jake Dalziel joining Newcastle Red Bulls.
The arrival of those ten new faces follows six academy players signing senior professional contracts this season, including former Hawick scrum-half Hector Patterson, one of four of them to go onto make first-team debuts.
The others stepping up into head coach Sean Everitt’s senior squad during the 2025-26 term were Ollie and Jerry Blyth-Lafferty, Euan McVie, Ollie Duncan and Jack Brown and Jerry Blyth-Lafferty.
Academy manager Kris Burney said: “We’re delighted to welcome this group into our academy, all of whom will be looking to be part of the next generation of Edinburgh players.
“Developing young, local Scottish talent will always be at the heart of what we do, but we also recognise the importance of identifying Scottish-qualified players who have the potential to represent this club at the highest level.
“We’ve been able to see the pathway in action in recent years, with numerous players going on to make their professional, and indeed international, debuts, and the opportunities that pathway offers are only growing.”
The 13 academy players carrying on from prior intakes include former Gala winger Nairn Moncrieff, ex-Kelso hooker Jack Utterson and fly-half Ross Wolfenden and winger Rory McHaffie, both previously at Peebles.
Also staying on in the academy are Sam Byrd, Fin Doyle, Henry Kesterton, Christian Lindsay, Hamish MacArthur, Jamie Stewart, Findlay Thomson, Ben White and Henry Widdowson.
Patterson, 21, made four starts at No 9 this month and last, scoring two tries, as Edinburgh headed for a 12th-placed finish in the championship, on 38 points from 18 fixtures.
He’s one of five Borderers in Everitt’s senior squad, together with Hawick’s Darcy Graham on the right wing, Jedburgh’s Glen Young at lock and hookers Patrick Harrison and Harri Morris, previously at Peebles and Melrose respectively.