Ross Ford has insisted staying at Edinburgh Rugby for another three years was an easy decision for him to make – despite a handful of his international colleagues choosing to depart for deals in England.

Scotland hooker Ford has penned a three year extension to his Edinburgh deal, with props Allan Dell and Simon Berghan also agreeing fresh terms, as the club further solidified its pack for next season.

Ford said: "It was an easy decision – I like the way the club is going.

"Alan [Solomons] has come in and done a lot of hard work and we’re starting to see that come to fruition now."

Asked about the recent trend of players going south – Edinburgh's Greig Tonks this week signed for London Irish, while Matt Scott will go to Gloucester in the summer – Ford said that it was up to individuals to decide where best to develop their careers.

He said: "It’s just professional sport – you get opportunities to go and each individual will want different things.

"If they want to go down south then that’s fair enough. They maybe want to experience different things or a different type of rugby.

"Coming up against different players and styles can help them develop."