Everitt urges Patterson to block out Scotland buzz and Premier League interest

Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt has urged scrum-half Hector Patterson to set aside mounting external noise — including reported interest from English Premiership and French Top 14 clubs — and concentrate on his own game as the capital side prepare for Saturday’s URC trip to Zebre.

Patterson, 21, only made his senior debut in April, starting Edinburgh’s final four URC matches of last season and scoring tries in his first two appearances. He has retained the No.9 jersey for the new campaign after playing a key role in the club’s two opening wins, and will continue to start with Ben Vellacott sidelined by shoulder surgery until December and new signing Louie Chapman still completing NPC commitments with Canterbury in New Zealand.

The Hawick-born Borderer signed only a single-year professional contract in April, and his rapid rise has attracted attention from clubs on both sides of the English Channel. Patterson is also English-qualified through a grandparent, adding to his appeal for sides south of the border. His father, Derrick, won two Scotland caps as a scrum-half in the mid-1990s.

“To be honest, we haven’t had any formal conversations around that; I believe that they’re all rumours up until now,” Everitt said. “Hector’s got a job to do. He’s got to focus on his performances. He had four URC games last year and he’s had two up until now, so there’s a lot of growth to be done. Obviously, we want to keep Hector at Edinburgh, but I’m not aware of opportunities that he has elsewhere.”

Speculation has also surfaced that Patterson could earn an early senior Scotland call-up, with head coach Gregor Townsend set to finalise his squad for next month’s Nations Championship matches against New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Everitt moved to temper those expectations, pointing to the depth already ahead of the youngster in the national pecking order.

“I think Hector’s got to understand where he is in the pecking order,” Everitt said. “You’ve got Ben White and you’ve got Jamie Dobie and you’ve got Ali Price playing in France and you’ve got George Horne playing well at Glasgow. It’s about them sticking to task and making sure that they work on their fundamentals and become consistent in their game.”

Everitt also addressed interest in Scottish-Fijian winger Malelele Satala, who has impressed while covering for injured stars Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe. With Satala’s contract expiring at the end of the season and Bristol and Exeter among the clubs reportedly monitoring him, Everitt was clear about the club’s intentions.

“We would like to keep Mal at Edinburgh Rugby,” he said. “I can’t comment for what’s happening out there; there’s all sorts of rumours that go around when a particular individual plays well. Our youngsters are on a growth path. We’ve given them a pathway at the club to be able to get exposure at the highest level. The great thing for us is that they’ve taken their opportunities really well.”