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Edinburgh retain 'one of the most important players in our squad'

Marshall Sykes, left, and Grant Gilchrist of Edinburgh after the Investec Champions Cup match between Leinster and Edinburgh at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
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Edinburgh have continued a busy week of business by tying down Scotland second-row Marshall Sykes for another two seasons at the club.

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The 26-year-old has extended his Edinburgh deal until 2028 as he approaches 100 appearances for the club.

The English-born forward moved to the Scottish capital in 2020 from the Glasgow Warriors academy, and has since gone on to make eight appearances for Scotland.

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Edinburgh boss Sean Everitt has backed his 121kg lock to add more caps to his name in the coming seasons, saying he is “entering his prime”.

After signing the new deal, Sykes said: “Signing this deal was one of the easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make. Edinburgh is home, simple as that.

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“My wife and I are so settled here, so happy in this city, and I can’t imagine being anywhere else. This club means everything to me and I want to be the kind of player that Edinburgh fans look back on and say, ‘He was always here, he always put his body on the line for us.’

“I’ve been here in the good times and I’ve been here in the harder times, and if anything that’s made me more determined than ever to help turn things around. Playing under Sean [Everitt] has been great – his ambition for this club is clear and I’m excited about the direction he’s taking us as a squad.

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“I want to repay the faith the club has shown in me and I genuinely believe the best is still ahead of us.”

Everitt added: “Marshall is one of the most important players in our squad and, honestly, one of the most underrated. Week in, week out, he puts in the kind of shift that wins matches – the tackles, the ruck hits, the set-piece contribution – and he does it with a consistency that is incredibly hard to find.

“At 26 he is just entering his prime as a lock forward, and by committing to Edinburgh for another two years he is putting himself in a real position to push for the international recognition his performances deserve.

“He gives everything every time he pulls on that jersey, and we are absolutely delighted to have him tied down for another two years.”

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NoLongerARuck 16 minutes ago
'The All Blacks are asking South Africa all the questions that matter'

Nick I would be curious to know what the Ball in play time for this match was? It seems like NZ got a much more favourable set of stats in this game compared to the beggars ration they got before. They built 100 plus rucks, they broke the line multiple times and their scrum was more solid. They also won the territory and possession battle but they still lost. The Boks made massive improvements though winning 6 turnovers and reducing the turnovers won by NZ from 14 to an unbeleivable 2. Was that down to Angus Gardener? Cant imagine Amashukeli will deny the contest as much as Gardener did but the Springboks did really well to stay connected to support when they did carry and didnt look to pass a whole lot preferring to attack the seams. Springbok defence was also imacculate with just 5 pens given away. They also won so many contestables with them kicking super accurately. NZ sprayed over 200 passes and for 4 tries only. It wasnt the best return and the rush worked well when you consider the disparity in post contact metres. Their scrum became more reliable but their lineout was a messy affair. Its fair too say if NZ can gain parity at set piece and sort out the contestable they give themselves a great chance at winning. The Springboks though need to find a bench balance that will see them return to green in the final quarter where they have been resoundingly thumped in the first 2 matches. One feels for them to win they need to build a lead, win loads of pens and cash in on 22m entries. I reckon NZ have more ways to win the match, the Springboks though are the best at forcing outcomes so even that may not be enough.

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