Edinburgh sign Wasps scrum-half Ben Vellacott

Edinburgh gave signed ex-Scotland age-grade scrum-half Ben Vellacott from Wasps in the Gallagher Premiership. The 25-year-old represented Scotland from U17s through to U20s while coming through the ranks at Hartpury College, featuring in the same 2014 Junior World Championship side as several of Edinburgh’s current crop.

His senior professional breakthrough came at Gloucester in 2017, from which he went on to score 14 tries in 49 appearances, earning him a move to Wasps in 2019. An ACL injury ruled Vellacott out for six months last term but he made it back in time for the Premiership final in October and has scored twice in 14 appearances since his Wasps return.

“I’m really excited about joining Edinburgh,” said Vellacott. “The recent signings and re-signings show the direction the club wants to go in and I’m delighted to be a part of that – as well as exploring a new area with my partner and Frenchie (his French bulldog).

All Blacks scrum-half Aaron Smith has inked a new deal

All Blacks scrum-half Aaron Smith has inked a new deal

“I believe it’s the perfect time and opportunity for me personally and I’m excited to play for the club and be part of the Guinness PRO14. It’s important to face new challenges in order to grow as a person, which excites me. My main focus is to play rugby for Edinburgh and hopefully help the team as a whole to progress further.

“I absolutely love attacking rugby but a huge personal progression over the last couple of seasons has been my game management. This is something I believe has really developed and hope to put to good use. I’d really like to thank Edinburgh for this opportunity. I’m incredibly excited to get to Scotland. I also want to say thank you to Wasps for the last two seasons and my family and friends for their consistent love and support.”

?? Former Scotland age-grade scrum-half Ben Vellacott will join the club from @WaspsRugby this summer!#BackYourBurgh pic.twitter.com/FpGtGEwghR

— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) March 2, 2021

Edinburgh boss Richard Cockerill added: “His speed, speed of thought and speed of ball make him a real threat behind the scrum, keeping defences honest with attacking variety, which we hope will bring our link players and back-line into play. He’s a former Scotland age-grade player so is well known and well-liked in the group and brings some good experience from playing four seasons in the English Premiership and European Cup competitions. 

“His profile sits nicely among our other scrum-halves, giving us good depth and variety in that area, which is great for competition and for their development as a group of nines.”

EXCLUSIVE:

"I approached the Springboks and they were in a similar position to us without fixtures and they said they could be looking for games"

– @chrisjonespress ??? with the inside track on how South Africa will prepare for the Lions ?https://t.co/vGcdSGIJ3e

— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 2, 2021