Former captain Mike Blair will leave Edinburgh Rugby at the end of this season, with France the likely destination for the current Scotland scrum-half.
Blair, 31 next week, is known to have had talks with Top 14 club Perpignan the former base of his perennial Scotland rival Chris Cusiter and on Wednesday he confirmed he will be moving on after 10 years with the capital club.
The most capped player in Scotland’s current squad with 80 test appearances, Blair has played more than 150 matches since joining Edinburgh in 2002.
He said: ”Being born and raised in Edinburgh, I’ve played all my rugby here and have been committed to Edinburgh Rugby my entire professional career.
”It’s been an honour to represent the club which, over the years, has helped me fulfil my ambitions of becoming a regular for my country and earning selection for the Lions.
”Rugby offers many opportunities and experiences and, while I believe that this may be one of the most exciting times to be an Edinburgh Rugby player, I don’t want to regret not trying something different when I finally hang up my boots.
”I’m absolutely committed to Edinburgh Rugby until the end of the season and will do everything in my power to go out on a high, while I remain absolutely committed to playing for Scotland.”
Blair is thought to be one of several scrum-halves being looked at by Perpignan, where his Scotland team-mates Cusiter and Nathan Hines both played. Blair’s former deputy at Edinburgh, Rory Lawson, was another believed to be under consideration by the Catalans.
Blair nearly left Edinburgh three years ago when he was offered terms by Ulster but opted to sign another deal with his hometown club.
Edinburgh re-signed Blair’s deputy Chris Leck to a contract extension last week and it may be captain Greig Laidlaw plays more at his original position of scrum-half next year, as they seek to bring on young fly-halves Gregor Hunter and Harry Leonard.
Photo by Mark Runnacles/PA Wire