'I’ve loved it here': Wes Goosen commits to two more years with Edinburgh

Wes Goosen has signed a two-year contract extension with Edinburgh, saying it would have been “stupid to leave”.

Born in South Africa and raised in New Zealand, the 29-year-old moved to the Scottish capital from the Hurricanes in 2022.

Goosen has emerged a key man for Sean Everitt’s side, establishing himself as their first-choice full-back since the departure of Blair Kinghorn to Toulouse midway through last season.

“I’ve loved it here,” he said after extending his deal until 2027. “I love the boys and playing under Sean and the coaching staff.

“It would just be stupid to leave. There’s so much potential here. I think I’ve started to play some of my best rugby.”

If Goosen stays at Edinburgh for the duration of his contract, it will take his stint in Scotland to five years, meaning he would be eligible for the national team.

Although he will be 31 by that point, the versatile back is open to the idea of following the likes of Glasgow’s Tom Jordan and his Edinburgh team-mates Duhan van der Merwe and Pierre Schoeman in playing for Scotland after fulfilling the residency criteria.

“It’s definitely something I thought about,” he said. “Watching Tom Jordan play in the Six Nations and how well he played was cool and the passion that he had straight away for Scotland and seeing a few of the South African boys, it’s definitely something I thought about.

“It was more a case of I’ve really enjoyed it here, it’d be silly to move. But, yeah, keep playing good rugby and see what happens.”Show less