Latest news with #HarryPaterson
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Edinburgh make two changes for must-win Ulster clash
Edinburgh have made two changes to their side for Friday's must-win URC clash against Lang and Harry Paterson both come into the back line, with Mosese Tuipulotu out with a knee injury and Jack Brown missing out on the Everitt's side must win to have any chance of finishing the regular league season in the top eight and securing a play-off Goosen, Graham, Currie, Lang, Paterson, Thompson, Price; Shoeman, Ashman, Rae, Sykes, Skinner, Munaster, Watson, Harrison, Venter, Sebastian, Young, Ritchie, Shiel, Healy, Bennett.
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Bath's power ultimately the difference'
In an alternate reality the opening 10 minutes of Edinburgh v Bath goes like this. Ali Price continues to chase his kick and thanks to a fortunate bounce touches down. Ross Thompson kicks the conversion. Harry Paterson doesn't get injured. A few minutes later, buoyed by that earlier successful kick, Thompson slots a relatively easy penalty. As a result, there is no dropped high ball from the 22 dropout or a penalty given away at the scrum and Bath don't score. Boom. Ten-point swing right there and the game maybe takes on a different complexion. The injury to Paterson was the most hurtful of those incidents. Not because he would have made us 15 points better over the 80 minutes, but his departure meant our backline was disrupted. Mosese Tuipulotu came on at 12 and James Lang moved out to 13 with Matt Currie taking the wing slot. He's done well on the wing when required but the movement of Lang from 12, where he's been influential and a good link for Thompson, kind of put the brakes on a backline that felt like it lacked cohesion thereafter. Our lack of discipline and accuracy were the issues we never really overcame. Two incidents sum it up. The first being on the run-up to Bath's second try. An overthrow on the 5m line resulted in a tap back and then a knock-on. We never got out of that corner until Bath scored through Tom Dunn. The second being at the restart after Edinburgh's first penalty try of the season. Javan Sebastian got pinged for obstruction. That penalty was followed by another three as the relentless forward power of Bath kept us cornered. Sam Skinner was then yellow carded and any advantage from the Bath yellow evaporated without Edinburgh even getting out of their own half. Ultimately this was about power. All six Bath tries came from forwards. Bath won 119 rucks to Edinburgh's 39, and nine of the top 10 tacklers in the match were in Edinburgh colours. It wasn't the prettiest of ways to win a match but it was highly effective and as hard as Edinburgh worked in defence, it wasn't enough. I'm disappointed but not crestfallen. We were in the game right up to the 75th minute. We'll be back and probably pretty soon. Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external
Scotsman
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
'He's worth the commitment' - new Edinburgh contract for 23 y/o who feared he'd forgotten how to play rugby
Scotland cap signs extension after multiple injury setbacks Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Harry Paterson has had no luck at all since making such an impressive Scotland debut in last year's Six Nations match against France but there are signs now that the full-back's fortunes are changing for the better. Paterson, 23, played back-to-back matches last week for the first time since his international bow and it was announced on Wednesday that he had put pen to paper on a new two-year contract with Edinburgh Rugby. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The player was delighted to sign, grateful that the club have shown faith in him after a horrendous run of injuries limited his involvement. Paterson has played just four games this season and admitted his 'head was all over the place' at times but head coach Sean Everitt has been patient, praising the attitude the player has shown during some tough moments. Harry Paterson pictured at Edinburgh University's McEwan Hall, where he studies. | Edinburgh Rugby 'I think one of the things that we stand for is resilience,' said Everitt. 'He's certainly shown that resilience in [overcoming] the injuries that he's had over the last few years. 'He's a very good player as we've all seen over the last two weeks. To be able to come out from a break like he's had and put in those good performances shows the quality of the youngster. He's a very good person. 'He's a hard worker. He's been through some adversity and sometimes you need to go through adversity to become world-class. He's put in two good performances now in a row. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'He's certainly worth the commitment. If you look at the performances that he's put in. Sometimes you do get players that struggle with injury early in their careers and they do get over that. I suppose it's a mental toughness that you have to show and he certainly has that.' Paterson is coming back to fitness and form for the business end of the season and Edinburgh have their biggest game of the campaign this Saturday when they take on Bath in the semi-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup at Hive Stadium. It's ten years since the capital club last reached a European final but home wins over the Lions and the Bulls have propelled them to the brink of another showpiece occasion. For Paterson, it's one more step on the road to recovery. Edinburgh's Harry Paterson in action against the Sharks at Hive Stadium, on April 18, 2025. (Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group) | SNS Group 'You always worry that you've forgotten how to play rugby - and then you get back on the pitch and it all comes back to you, really,' said the full-back. 'You forget about the collisions - they're not quite as easy to ride. But yeah, it comes back a lot more easily than you think.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He describes the opportunity to take on a Finn Russell-inspired Bath team as 'really exciting' and hopes Edinburgh can go one better than they did in the recent URC match against the star-studded Sharks who pipped them at the death with a last-gasp try from Springboks World Cup winner Makazole Mapimpi. 'We came up against a superstar outfit in the Sharks and should have won that game. It will be a similar test this week, but slightly different in terms of skill set. But yeah, we'll have a real crack at getting to the final.' He said signing the new contract was an easy decision. 'It's nice to get something in the books, sign on at the club, and just focus on the rugby for the next two years, which is great. 'I suppose the club has just backed me that I'm going to get things right and get back on the pitch, which I have done. And hopefully, touch wood, I'll stay on the pitch for a lot longer.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The injury run started almost immediately after the France match in which Paterson made his Scotland debut in dramatic circumstances. Although he was part of the wider Six Nations squad in 2024 he was not in the match-day 23 for the game at Murrayfield. That all changed when Kyle Steyn's wife went into labour and Paterson was told on the morning of the game that he would be starting. He turned in a very mature performance as Scotland lost 20-16 but it proved to be the beginning of a frustrating spell for the player. Harry Paterson holds off France's Louis Bielle-Biarrey during his Scotland debut in the 2024 Six Nations clash at Murrayfield. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group) | SNS Group / SRU 'So there was France and then in the Ireland week in that Six Nations I stress-fractured my foot,' he explained. 'It was kind of rumbling on from [Edinburgh's game with] Zebre after the France game and I was training on it, and then finally I was out for a good while with that. 'I got back fit just before the summer tour. And then I basically failed to walk through a door correctly [cutting his foot in the process]. It was a tough one to explain to the coach. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Yeah, so that happened. It was just a deep cut. And then I injured a hamstring in training in the Autumn Nations, in the Portugal week. 'Then I came back, played Scarlets, got concussed. It was about eight to ten weeks [out]. And then here I am. So yeah, it's been a tricky season.' Paterson comes across as very level-headed and able to take all this in his stride but he baulks at the suggestions that he is laidback and admitted that frustration got the better of him at times. 'Oh yeah, absolutely, especially the first couple of days when those injuries happen your head's all over the place. But then you settle down and you're 'Right, how am I going to get back on the pitch quickly?'' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Fortunately, Paterson has a good support network around him, an important factor during the long months of rehab and recovery.
STV News
30-04-2025
- Sport
- STV News
Edinburgh's Harry Paterson relishing ‘huge' Bath clash in European Challenge Cup
Harry Paterson insists Edinburgh will meet the challenge of Bath 'head on' in their European Challenge Cup semi-final on Saturday. The Hive stadium in the Scottish capital will be packed out for the visit of the Gallagher Premiership leaders, with Lyon meeting Racing 92 in the other last-four game on Sunday. Scotland full-back Paterson, who has signed a two-year contract extension, recalled the excitement of the sold-out United Rugby Championship clash with the Sharks earlier this month, which ended in an 18-17 defeat, as he looked forward to a huge fixture this weekend. The 23-year-old said: 'I think we're sold out. It should be great. The crowd was amazing at the Sharks game which was sold out a few weeks ago. 'Hopefully we can do one better than that and get to the final in Cardiff. 'It's huge. Bath are a great team, similar to the Sharks. 'We'll respect what they have but not shy away from the challenge. 'And we'll just attack it head on and get to that final.' Paterson has suffered with a series of injuries this season and is glad to be back in action. He said: 'It's an interesting one because it wasn't really one big injury. 'It was kind of a lot – concussion, hamstring, a foot injury. 'You think you're getting somewhere and then something else happens. 'But fingers crossed I found some consistency with training and got a few games under my belt so, in my head at least, the more of that I get under my belt the better chance I have of staying on the pitch, which is great. 'I study sports science, so I kind of try and use that to my advantage and leave no stone unturned and just listen to the experts around me and things like that. 'But the biggest thing is just getting through those first few weeks of training back and then you can build from there. So that that's what we've done. 'I've been involved the past few weeks which has been great, some big games as well, especially this weekend.' On his new deal, Paterson said: 'I'm really chuffed with it. 'It's nice to sign something and just be able to just focus on the rugby for another two years, which is great.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
