By Graham Bean

Copyright scotsman

He played for England all through the age grades, including in a hard-fought win over Scotland in the Under-20 Six Nations, but James Whitcombe is now ready to swap the rose for the thistle. The loosehead prop from Keighley, Yorkshire joined Edinburgh in the summer on a three-year deal and knows he will have to impress for his new club first and foremost but the 24-year-old is ambitious to see how far this move can take him. “New club, new city, new country. It’s something I feel ready for. I’m excited,” he said. Whitcombe, who left Leicester Tigers to move north, is Scotland-qualified through his maternal grandmother from Falkirk. He spent the best part of a decade at Welford Road and has nothing but good things to say about his time with the Tigers but the moment felt right to get out of his “comfort zone”, he said. “Well, first of all, I have ambitions – I’m also Scottish qualified, so that’s a big factor,” he said. “And I needed to freshen up. The city itself is really nice. I spoke to a few of the boys here. I like the style of rugby they play and they’re ambitious. They want to win comps, want to win stuff. “So, for me, it was a good chance to have a fresh start. I’d been there [at Leicester] a while. I really enjoyed the club and I can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done for me. But I think this was good for me, at the age I am, just to go out of my comfort zone and have a fresh start.” He is finding his feet in the city and flatsharing with Malelili Satala, Edinburgh’s other summer recruit from Leicester. A previous trip to the capital proved eventful for Whitcombe who was part of the England U20 side which defeated their Scottish counterparts 21-17 in a closely fought game in 2020. Playing in Sean Lineen’s Scotland side that night were future Edinburgh team-mates Ewan Ashman, Connor Boyle, Matt Currie and Harry Paterson, as well as Rory Darge, who captained the young Scots. “I was chatting to Matt Currie and he was saying he remembers it, but I don’t remember too much. I was too busy hitting scrums and hitting mauls!” said Whitcombe who came through the England age groups at under-16 and under-18 level before progressing to the under-20s. The next step, naturally, would be a full cap but he says his heart is with Scotland now. “Yeah, definitely. Like I said, it’s a fresh start, it’s something new. New club, new city, new country. It’s something I feel ready for.” He says he “had a few conversations when I first signed” regarding a potential switch of allegiance but that is something for the future. “My focus firmly at the minute is with Edinburgh at the start of the season. So, yeah, hopefully fight for my position and selection for the first game of the season. And, obviously, Friday night.” Friday night will see Edinburgh split their squad in two to play two pre-season friendlies against Doncaster Knights and Ealing Trailfinders in a double-header at the Hive. It is their final preparation for the new United Rugby Championship season which kicks off for them against Zebre in Italy a week on Saturday. For Whitcombe, it could be the start of a whole new adventure.