Blair Kinghorn: Scotland & Edinburgh full-back to join Toulouse in December
- Published
Edinburgh Academy product Blair Kinghorn has scored 320 points in 137 matches for his hometown club
Scotland full-back Blair Kinghorn will join Toulouse from Edinburgh after next weekend's away match against Ulster.
Edinburgh have agreed a "six-figure release fee" for Kinghorn, who was under contract until next June but had "already intimated his intention" to join the Top 14 side.
The 26-year-old will start in Friday's United Rugby Championship game against Benetton, his final home appearance.
"This has been a really tough decision," Kinghorn said.
"I've called this place home for nine years and have massive loyalty to this club. It gave me everything in my career so far and was the start of my professional rugby journey. I feel like they've really got the best out of me.
"Joining Toulouse is an opportunity that's come forward that I think will be good for me as person, and to develop my career and my game. It's a big decision, but I feel like it's the right move for me.
"I'm really grateful to Edinburgh, for seeing this as great opportunity for me to develop personally and as a rugby player, but it is still going to be a sad day."
Kinghorn has scored 128 points in 50 appearances for Scotland and moves to Toulouse as a replacement for Toulon-bound Melvyn Jaminet.
"Blair is an Edinburgh boy through and through, a home-grown club centurion and Scotland internationalist - he's certainly the type of quality player we'd have liked to retain in the blue and orange of Edinburgh Rugby," said senior coach Sean Everitt.
"His intention to leave at the end of his current contract certainly played a part in our decision to agree to his premature release, as well as our well-documented strength and depth in the back three.
"It was on that basis, we agreed reluctantly to this release in return for payment of a significant sum from Toulouse, which we'll now consider carefully how best it can be reinvested in the club."
'I don't doubt his commitment to the club'
Edinburgh have started the United Rugby Championship season well, with four wins from five, and Everitt is expecting a fully focused Kinghorn on Friday.
"It probably is distracting for him during the week but this is not something that will have come up overnight or over the last few days," he said. "These talks and rumours might have happened a couple of weeks back and he's still performed.
"Being a professional, we have to trust that his mind's on the job at hand. I don't doubt his commitment to the club. He's been a standout player and he's extremely popular at Edinburgh, so I don't think he would put himself first and let the people down who have supported him throughout his career."
Everitt admits Kinghorn's impending departure would leave a void but the coach has strong options.
"Blair is a world class player and can be the best in his position in the world," he said. "To replace a player of that quality is always going to be difficult. But we have youngsters in that position who have been waiting in the wings to get an opportunity.
"We've also got Emiliano Boffelli, who will be returning from injury, which will still give us an international back three (alongside Scotland wings Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe).
"There are not many franchises around the world that can boast four international back-three players so I think we are healthy in that department."