Edinburgh Rugby sign McCaig and White for next season

Charlie McCaig, a centre from Exeter Chiefs, and Ben White, a loosehead prop from Melrose, will join ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

McCaig, 22, was born in Honiton, Devon, and came through the Exeter academy system. He combined his career with the Chiefs with studying for a degree in Liberal Arts at the University of Exeter and helped the latter’s first XV win the British Universities title in 2022.

He was loaned out to English Championship side Cornish Pirates this season and scored three tries in 19 matches. The centre made his Chiefs debut in February, with a cameo off the bench against the Pirates in the Premiership Cup. McCaig qualifies for Scotland through his grandfather and joins Edinburgh’s senior squad on a two-year deal.

White, meanwhile, links up with the capital side’s pro-academy on a one-year deal. The 20-year-old was awarded the MacPhail Scholarship for promising young players in 2023 and spent five months in South Africa last year at the high-performance training facility at Stellenbosch University.

Part of winning Scotland U20 squad

White began playing rugby at five with his local club Biggar before moving on to Peebles and Melrose. He has represented Scotland at both under-17 and under-18 level and was part of the Scotland U20 squad that lifted the World Rugby U20 Trophy in Edinburgh last summer.

Sean Everitt, the Edinburgh head coach, said: “Both players have had impressive journeys in rugby so far, demonstrating dedication and a real commitment to their development.

“Charlie will be a fine addition to our senior squad, bringing a strong skill set and a hunger to succeed, while Ben's inclusion in our pro-academy will add further strength and depth for the future. We look forward to welcoming both players to the club this summer.”

New signings but 12 leaving

Their signing follows that of Scotland hooker Dylan Richardson from Sharks, and Scottish-qualified props Rhys Litterick, from Cardiff, and James Whitcombe, from Leicester Tigers. In addition, wingers Malelili Satala and Finlay Doyle will join Edinburgh from Leicester and Loughborough University, respectively. Both are also Scottish-qualified. Edinburgh have also signed utility back Piers O’Conor from Connacht who is not Scottish-qualified.

Edinburgh announced last month that 12 players would be leaving at the end of the current campaign, with Jamie Ritchie, Mark Bennett, Dave Cherry, Matt Scott, Jamie Hodgson, Ali Price, Emiliano Boffelli, Robin Hislop, Javan Sebastian, Jake Henry, Nathan Sweeney and Jack Hocking all moving on.