Edinburgh Rugby player in Michael Hooper comparison due to his ‘world class’ super strength

Freddy Douglas took a short time to make a big impression on new Edinburgh assistant coach Michael Hodge who has labelled the young flanker “world class”.

Douglas' priceless ability to steal the opposition’s ball has been a factor in his club's bright start to the new season and he leads the way for most turnovers won - five - in the United Rugby Championship after two rounds.

His jackaling talents caused Hodge to liken him to Wallaby great Michael Hooper, high praise indeed, and it’s a mark of just how much he has progressed that he is now being targeted by opponents.

Douglas didn’t have it all his own way against the Stormers last Friday and got on the wrong side of the referee at times but ended up helping Edinburgh to a hard-fought 17-13 victory to make it two wins from two after the success against Ulster the previous week, a game in which Douglas was outstanding.

It is their best start to a season since 2023 and has been done with a squad of which 10 of the 23 players are 22 or under, with Douglas and fellow back-rower Liam McConnell in the vanguard.

“We look at Freddy Douglas and how influential he was in that first game [v Ulster],” said Hodge, the Australian skills and contact coach who joined the club in the summer from the Irish Rugby Football Union. “He’s 21 and had a handful of games for Scotland. And again, last week, Liam McConnell, his lineout defence was one of the reasons why we were still in the game.”

Douglas has long been identified as a player of huge potential and was fast-tracked into the national squad as a teenager, making his debut off the bench against Portugal in autumn 2024. At 19, he became the youngest Scotland player since 1963.

He followed it up last season with his first Six Nations appearance, coming on in the win over France, and then made his first Scotland start in the victory over Fiji in the Nations Championship in July.

“Look, from what I've seen at training and in the trial games, and obviously against Ulster, Freddy's world-class in terms of on the ground,” added Hodge.

“It didn't quite go his way [against the Stormers] and some of those calls, often they might be 50-50s and sometimes it's not your day. But I think he's going to continue to challenge defences and referees. And it's important that he does that. And it's his super strength.

“And it's certainly not my job or [defence coach] Brad [Davis’], for us to take it away from him. His ability over the ball is going to be really important for us. And, look, he's got to keep working on his technique, pushing the boundaries and making sure he's picking the right times as well.

“He's world-class. And I guarantee you the Stormers would have come into the game and looked at him. And that's credit to a 21-year-old.”

Asked if he reminded him of anyone he had coached or played with, Hodge picked a famous former team-mate of his at the Waratahs.

“His quickness and things like that, it reminds me a lot of Michael Hooper, actually. You know, similar sort of frame, not big guys. That's just someone of my generation back in Australia. But just his ability to get in there so quickly. It's exciting.”

Meanwhile, Hodge said he was hopeful centre Matt Currie would come through the head injury assessment protocols and be available for Edinburgh’s URC game against Zebre on Saturday.