A marquee signing that was never in the budget, and one who arrives off the back of one of the leanest seasons of his career.
Castres Olympique had not earmarked the back row. Dalton Papali’i’s injury changed everything and the Tarn club closed the deal in three days, with the announcement on 17 July. Xavier Sadourny admitted to Midi Olympique that the timing had worked in Castres’ favour: Leicester were close to signing the Scot when the opportunity arose.
A transition year of 305 minutes
Watson is coming off a season split between two clubs and two countries. Two appearances for Edinburgh totalling 61 minutes, then six matchday squads with Leicester in the Premiership for 244 minutes, including three starts. Total: 305 minutes over the season, when he had played 1,264 the year before.
| Season | Clubs | Matchday squads | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-2026 | Edinburgh, Leicester | 8 | 305 |
| 2024-2025 | Edinburgh | 20 | 1,264 |
All competitions, club and international combined.
This is not a dip in form but a break. The player makes no secret of it: “I wasn’t treated very well at the end.” Edinburgh had set about rejuvenating the squad and trimming the wage bill; Watson, who had worn their colours since the age of 19, paid the price.
The number that counts: 181
His tally for Edinburgh stops at 181 matches, the last on 14 December 2025. Fifteen seasons at a single club, a one-shirt player in the mould of Rougerie at Clermont or Capo Ortega at Castres.
At international level, he has 59 caps for Scotland. His most recent came on 30 September 2023, at the World Cup. So it has been almost three years since he last wore the thistle, even though he was named player of the Six Nations in 2021 and called up by the British and Irish Lions the same year.
Fourth-oldest in his position
Watson turns 35 on 15 October. Of the 112 back-row forwards registered in 2026-2027 Top 14 squads, only three are older: Sione Kalamafoni and Steeve Blanc-Mappaz, both at Vannes, and Nathan Hughes at Racing 92.
Yet the argument coming out of Castres is not experience but raw data. “On the GPS data and in the gym, he always comes out on top,” Midi Olympique reports of his first weeks in the Tarn. That is what a club wants from a player who has not played much: freshness.
Castres host Vannes on Saturday 5 September at 7pm in Round 1. RC Vannes, the reigning Pro D2 champions, are about to start their second season in the top flight.
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