Rising star Nathan Sweeney today agreed terms to his first professional contract with Edinburgh Rugby, penning a one-year deal with his boyhood club.
Graduating from the club’s academy, Sweeney – who is adept at full-back, wing and centre – recently made his professional debut for the capital side, impressing in difficult conditions against Connacht in Galway to become the 1320th player to represent the city.
An elusive runner, and cultured ball player, Sweeney has been in a rich vein of form for Edinburgh ‘A’, scoring two tries in two outings in the FOSROC Super Series Sprint, including a stunning effort against 21/22 Champions Watsonians last weekend.
On his first pro deal, Sweeney said: “I’m over the moon to have signed my first professional deal with the club. I’ve really enjoyed my time in the academy set-up and can’t wait to step up to the senior squad.
“It was an amazing moment to make my debut for the club against Connacht, and I’ve really been enjoying the ‘A’ games that I’ve been able to be a part of.
“There’s no other club I’d rather be at. I love the environment, the group of players and the city. I grew up supporting the club, so to sign pro with the friends I grew up with is something special for me. It was a no-brainer for me to sign and I’m really looking forward to getting started.”
Born in Glasgow, Sweeney spent much of his childhood growing up in Horsham and Hong Kong where his rugby journey began. Pro sport runs in his family with his grandfather a former professional player at Queens Park FC.
Sweeney moved back to Scotland to finish schooling at Musselburgh’s Loretto School where he played alongside friend and current teammate Ben Muncaster. Sweeney was soon involved at Scottish age-grade level, representing his country from U17 to U19.
Accomplished performances at club and age-grade level saw Sweeney join the Edinburgh Rugby academy ahead of the 2019-20 season. A standout performance for the ‘A’ side against Glasgow Warriors further solidified the youngster’s potential.
The back-three player was hit by a long-term injury shortly after his arrival at the club and showed resilience to battle back to fitness to feature for Heriot’s Rugby in the 2021/22 FOSROC Super6 campaign.
Head Coach Mike Blair added: “It’s great that Nathan will be making the step up to a professional deal for next season. He’s a talented player and has shown a huge amount of determination to come back from his injuries to put himself in a strong position.
“He’s a hard-working player who puts a lot of time into analysing his training and matches. His performances for the ‘A’ team have been a testament to that and we’re excited to see where he can go.”
