Scotland skipper prediction about young flanker catching eye of English clubs

Everitt has been really impressed by the flanker’s attitude since returning to pre-season and sees him as an international player in the making and perhaps even a future Scotland captain.

It’s a bold prediction to make about one so young but McConnell, who turned 21 in the summer, has long shown leadership qualities.

He is a former Scotland Under-18 skipper and spent two seasons captaining Scotland at under-20 level, leading the team to their World Rugby U20 Trophy triumph in 2024 which saw them return to the elite tier of under-20 rugby for the first time in five years. He was also named as captain of the Emerging Scotland side for their game against Italy Under-23s at Hive Stadium last December.

Quins and Gloucester said to be interested

An abrasive flanker with a good work ethic, his performances for Edinburgh have also caught the eye of some England’s leading lights. Harlequins and Gloucester have both been credited with an interest in McConnell who is out of contract at the end of the season.

“I'm proud of Liam and all the work that he put in prior to him arriving to pre-season training,” said Everitt who highlighted his winning time in the ‘bronco’ fitness test, the gruelling shuttle run that players tend to dread in training. “If you look back, you remember him winning the bronco. It shows you that hard work does pay off, and I'm just so happy for a guy like that.

“He is determined. He's competitive by nature. He knows where he's going, and he knows how to get there. Certainly, through hard work, there's a way to get there. He's made most of his opportunities in the jersey, and it's going to be very difficult to take it off him.”

He has started at six in all of Edinburgh’s matches in the United Rugby Championship this season, the first time he has played three in a row for the club, and was a big part of Friday’s 43-0 win over an admittedly under-strength Benetton side.

Nice balance to back row

The Edinburgh back row of McConnell, Dylan Richardson and Magnus Bradbury looks to have a nice balance to it and Everitt admitted he was keen to tie McConnell down on a new deal.

“We are in contract conversations with Liam,” said the coach. “Obviously, we want to keep a guy that captained the under-20s for two years in a row. I'm not aware of the other clubs that are chatting to him, and he certainly hasn't mentioned it to me. I don't blame him either! But we certainly do want to keep Liam in Edinburgh. I think he'll be very important for Scotland going forward, and perhaps a skipper one day.”

A local Edinburgh boy, McConnell came through the ranks at Boroughmuir and attended James Gillespie’s High School in the city. He made his Scotland U20 debut the day after his 18th birthday and went on to win 20 caps at that level. His first competitive appearance for Edinburgh came in last season’s European Challenge Cup tie at Gloucester.