Hamish Watson

Hamish Fergus Wallace Watson (born 15 October 1991) is a professional rugby union player who plays as a flanker for Top 14 side Castres Olympique. Between 2011 and 2026 he played 159 games for Edinburgh Rugby.

Early life During his early schooling days at Terra Nova school he won the English schools boys national U13 trophy. He then moved to Oakham School and played for Leicester Tigers Academy until the age of 18.

Club career At the start of his English professional career he moved to Oakham in Rutland and was at the Leicester Tigers Academy. On moving to Scotland he then played for Edinburgh Rugby. In March 2026 Watson returned to Leicester Tigers on an initial two month loan from parent club Edinburgh. On the 22nd March he made his first team debut 16 years after leaving the club playing the full game of Leicester’s 33-19 victory against Bristol Bears in the Premiership.

International career Although he was born and raised in England, Watson was eligible to represent Scotland due to his grandfather, who was born in Glasgow.

He progressed to a centrally held Scotland 7s contract in the summer of 2011 before being approached to join the Edinburgh Rugby elite development programme.

He made his Scotland Club XV debut in 2013 while at Edinburgh Academicals.

Scotland After impressing for Edinburgh Rugby, Watson made his international debut in the home defeat to Italy during the 2015 Six Nations Championship. His first international try came during the Autumn Internationals of November 2016 as Scotland beat Georgia with his second coming the following summer in a victory over Australia in Sydney.

Watson was selected in Scotland's squad for the Rugby World Cup in 2019, but suffered a tournament-ending injury in the opening match against Ireland. Watson's form in the 2021 Six Nations Championship, in which he didn't miss a single tackle during the five matches, saw him win Player of the Championship.

In 2023 Watson was selected in Scotland's 33-player squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

British & Irish Lions Watson was selected in the 37-man squad for the British & Irish Lions 2021 tour to South Africa. He played in the first tour match against the Sigma Lions at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg, becoming Lion #847. He scored a try within seven minutes and was named man of the match. After performing well in the tour's warm-up matches, he was selected on the substitutes' bench for the first Test, coming on early in the second half as the Lions won 22-17 to lead the series.

Career statistics International analysis by opposition Opposition Played Win Loss Draw Tries Points Win % 4 3 1 0 1 5 5 3 2 0 2 10 6 3 2 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 7 5 2 0 0 0 Georgia 3 3 0 0 2 10 7 1 6 0 1 5 9 8 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 2 0 1 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 7 2 5 0 0 0 Career 59 33 24 1 8 35

Personal life Watson has gained two nicknames from fans: "The Mish", a shortening of his given name, and "Pinball", in reference to his unique running style which sees him bounce off several players over a short distance whilst carrying the ball. The nickname "Pinball" was given to Watson by the Scottish Rugby Podcast.