Twenty senior players left Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors at the end of the season and most - but not all - have found new homes for the 2025-26 campaign.
Some have landed lucrative contracts in France and England while others are still hoping to secure a deal in the coming weeks.
Summer can be a time of uncertainty for out-of-contract rugby pros, with the search to find a club intensifying as the new season looms. Here’s the latest state of play on those who left Scotland’s two professional teams.
13. Jack Mann
The powerful No 8 enjoyed a breakthrough season at Glasgow Warriors after a lengthy concussion-enforced lay-off but the lure of England proved too strong and Mann will play for Gloucester in the new season. At 25, Mann has had to be patient, waiting 720 days between appearances for Glasgow. His form last season won him a call up for Gregor Townsend’s Six Nations squad and although he did not feature in the championship he should not have long to wait for his first cap. | SNS Group
14. Ali Price
The 68-times capped Scotland scrum-half is heading to France to join Montpellier after two seasons with Edinburgh and, before that, nine with Glasgow Warriors. It’s a fresh start for the 32-year-old who will link up with fellow Scotland internationals Stuart Hogg and Alex Masibaka at the Occitania club. Scored four tries in the Challenge Cup last season to help Edinburgh reach their first European semi-final in 10 years. | SNS Group
15. Jamie Ritchie
Edinburgh’s most high profile departure is that of their former captain Jamie Ritchie who is leaving the club he joined straight from school to join Perpignan. The Scotland flanker has been a mainstay for the capital side for a decade but, at 29, Ritchie has decided to try his luck in France’s Top 14. Perpignan preserved their top-flight status by the skin of their teeth, squeezing past Grenoble in a relegation play-off after finishing second bottom in the regular season. The Catalan side will be hopeful of better things in the new campaign under head coach Franck Azéma, with Ritchie one of several new recruits. | SNS Group
16. Matt Scott
Scott announced in May that he was retiring from rugby, bringing the curtain down on a career that included three spells at Edinburgh. His final stint in the capital was hindered by a persistent neck injury and the former Scotland centre decided it was the right time to call it quits. Having won 40 caps and also represented Gloucester and Leicester Tigers in the English top flight, Scott, 34, can look back on a fulfilling career. Highlights include helping Scotland reach the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals in 2015 and being part of the Leicester side that defeated Saracens in the 2022 Premiership final. | SNS Group