WP Nel knows retirement is close but Edinburgh and Scotland prop basks in Indian summer

Veteran forward is playing well and feels in excellent shape despite advancing years

Are we witnessing the Indian summer of a South African Scot? The man in question certainly thinks so. At 37, and with his Edinburgh contract due to expire at the end of this season, WP Nel knows he is close to retirement. But he is also certain that he is currently enjoying the best run of form he has had since his early days as an international back in 2015.

Having signed for Edinburgh from the Cheetahs in his native South Africa back in 2012, Nel was already recognised as an international-class tighthead prop long before he qualified on residency to play for his adoptive country. These days, 61 caps later, he may no longer be the first choice for the Scotland No 3 jersey. But his performances for Edinburgh remain invaluable, and, although self-effacing by nature, he is pleased with what he is currently able to produce for his club.

“If I look at last week’s performance and take how World Cup pre-season went, yeah, I’m probably in the best shape I’ve been in the last eight years,” Nel said. “I said to the boys in the gym earlier this week, it’s funny how you take so long to sort out my body, to finally find out what I need to do and what I don’t need to do.

WP Nel during an Edinburgh Rugby training session at Hive Stadium.

“But yeah, I’m happy where I am. It’s still awesome to be out there and put a performance out for the team. I’m close to retirement. How close? That I don’t know. I’m just taking it day by day at the moment - enjoy it while I’m out here and see what’s coming next. That’s how I’m planning to do it this season.”

The downside of Nel’s impressive performance last week was that it was not enough to prevent Edinburgh from losing to Benetton at Hive Stadium. They now face a tough visit to Ulster on Saturday night, and although he is satisfied with his form, he still feels that commitment to the team is more important. “You still need to put the team first – we need to win,” he added. “That’s the frustrating bit. I think last weekend we dominated so much in the game and didn’t close the game down.”

Senior coach Sean Everitt felt that frustration too, as his team went down to an all-too-avoidable defeat. But since arriving in the close season he has been seriously impressed by Nel’s form and attitude. “WP has been amazing,” he said. “He’s got four young children at home so he’s busy there, but he comes in and trains like a youngster. Then you look at his performance on Friday night and you wonder when it’s all going to come to an end, because it’s almost like he’s getting better.

“That’s one of the better performances I’ve seen from a tight-head prop this year, so he’s on top of his game at the moment. If you look at the Benetton pack and how we dominated them after they gave other teams a tough time, including Munster early on in the season, you’ve just got to admire the job he does and how good he is at it.”