Prop who played for Scotland and England joins Edinburgh Rugby

The loosehead will join from Scarlets in the summer on a two-year deal and becomes the latest acquisition for the capital club following the signing in recent days of backs Riley Higgins, Geordie Gwynn and Louie Chapman.

Hepburn, 33, will help fill the void left by Springboks prop Boan Venter who is joining the Lions in the summer after six seasons at Edinburgh.

Head coach Sean Everitt said he was delighted to sign a player of Hepburn’s pedigree.

Double winner

“We're really pleased to be adding a player of Alec's calibre to our squad,” said Everitt. “He's a seasoned international loosehead who has operated at the highest level throughout his career – Champions Cup finals, Premiership titles, Six Nations. That kind of experience and knowledge is invaluable in any group.”

Hepburn spent the bulk of his club career in England with Exeter Chiefs where he was part of the squad which won the Champions Cup and Premiership double in 2019-20. He started in the Covid-delayed finals of both, helping Exeter beat Racing 92 in the former and Wasps in the latter. After 10 seasons and 179 appearances, he left Exeter to move to Wales to join the Scarlets ahead of the 2024-25 season.

“I'm very excited to be joining Edinburgh,” he told the club’s website. “It's a club with great depth and talent within the squad to push very high in all competitions.

“It's nice to know a few of the guys already. Getting the chance to work week in and week out with them will hopefully bring the best out of me and prove myself in a different environment.”

Switching from England to Scotland

Hepburn has had an unusual international career, playing six times each for England and Scotland. Born in Perth, Australia, he moved to England at the age of 13 and qualified to play for them on residency grounds. He was selected at under-20 and A level before winning his first senior cap under Eddie Jones, against Wales in 2018.

He made his sixth and last England appearance in a win over Australia in November 2018. Six years later, Gregor Townsend named him in the Scotland squad for the 2024 Six Nations. He qualifies through his Scottish-born father and was able to switch allegiance because of the changes made to World Rugby’s eligibility laws in 2022 which allows a qualifying player to change nations after a three years away from international rugby.

Hepburn made his debut for Scotland as a second-half substitute in the win over Wales in Cardiff in the opening round of the 2024 Six Nations. His most recent Scotland cap came against Samoa last summer.

Pierre Schoeman is Edinburgh and Scotland’s first-choice loosehead but Hepburn provides another strong option for the club who are looking to kick on next season after a disappointing 2025-26 campaign which saw them miss out on the United Rugby Championship play-offs.

Everitt believes the new signing will also benefit the younger players in the squad.

“Alec strengthens the depth we have in an important position and adds genuine competition for places, which can only drive standards higher,” said the coach.

“Having someone of his background in our changing room will also be hugely beneficial for the younger props coming through. That blend of quality and leadership is exactly what we're looking for as we continue to build.”