Northampton prop Hill to join Edinburgh this summer

England international prop Paul Hill will join Edinburgh from Northampton Saints at the end of this season on a two-year deal, the club have announced.

Hill has made 187 appearances in nine years with Northampton, won the Premiership in 2019, and earned the last of six England caps in 2021.

The 29-year-old moves north as a replacement for WP Nel, who will retire from rugby at the end of the current campaign.

“This is a really exciting challenge and one that I can’t wait to get stuck into," Hill said.

"From everything I’ve read and heard, Edinburgh is an amazing club and city, while it will be great to test myself in a new league in the URC.

“I’ve absolutely loved my time at Northampton, and I can’t speak highly enough of the people connected to the club and fans who’ve backed me throughout my career so far. However, after nine seasons, the time was right to move on. My family and I are really excited about this move.

"I know I’ve still got a huge amount to offer. Given my experience, I can hopefully help out some of the younger Scottish props coming through the system too."

Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt added: "We’re really happy to secure the signature of a player of Paul’s [Hill] quality and experience. He’s played a lot of rugby at a top level and his arrival will only help drive standards and competition at the tighthead position.

"With WP [Nel] hanging up his boots at the end of the year, it was imperative we recruited well in that department. We feel Paul has all the attributes to succeed in our pack, and he can hit the ground running straight away this summer."