Bedford Blues sign Ed Coulson for the 2018/19 season

Bedford Blues have announced the signing of utility back Ed Coulson for the 2018/19 Championship season.

Coulson, 22, signs from fellow Championship side Hartpury College who he had joined at the start of this campaign. Primarily a fullback, Coulson can also play on the wing, in the centre or at fly half and offers plenty of options to the Blues back line.

Speaking about the new signing, Blues Director of Rugby Mike Rayer said: “What impresses me most about Ed is that he was prepared to go to great lengths to get back on track and he did this all off his own back and has shown great determination and resilience to get where he is now.

“Ed made a real impact in our game against Hartpury a few months ago when he came on and it was clear that he is someone who wants to play as much rugby as possible. He put in some big hits, made some great runs and showed excellent distribution - he really caught our eye and we’re really pleased he’s decided to join us.”

Having been part of the London Irish set-up as a youngster, Coulson joined the Bath Academy when he attended Sherborne School in Dorset, and played in the A League and Premiership Sevens as well as spending time in South Africa with Western Province. With some star names ahead of him at Bath, a move to Newcastle followed but Coulson suffered a series of hamstring injuries which never allowed him to establish himself with the Falcons.