THE Scot who unleashed the back-row forward Dimitri Basilaia, Edinburgh's newest recruit, on world rugby has suggested more Georgians are coming .

. . and in force.

Richie Dixon, the former Scotland coach who guided the East European nation through an impressive 2012 World Cup campaign, was confident that the arrival of Basilaia and his countrymen had the potential to add hugely to the Scottish game.

Dixon has received the presidential order of excellence, the highest award available to Georgian civilians for his work in developing their rugby scene and in particular their international team.

However, for all that his team tested Andy Robinson's Scotland in Invercargill at the World Cup, keeping them try-less in a hard fought encounter, he remains a passionate Scot who has coached Glasgow as well as the national side and is anxious to see the professional game flourish.

Something of a visionary, he saw the potential in Michael Bradley, the Irishman who now coaches Edinburgh and offered him the chance to develop his skills by working in Georgia after he stood down as coach of Connacht two years ago, a partnership that has worked to Edinburgh's benefit.

"Dimi is a very powerful player, a strong ball carrier and a hard tackler who is blessed with natural leg drive," Dixon said of the 26-year-old. "He is still developing and his best years are ahead of him. He had played a couple of times for Georgia in the past but we got him in ahead of the World Cup and we could see that he had something."

With Georgian players featuring at most leading French clubs Dixon believes it is only a matter of time, and political will, before they begin to invade the British scene.

"The biggest problem we have is that Georgians need visas to get in everywhere and in this country they have to have played something like 75% of the national team's games in an 18-month period to qualify for one," he explained.

"France has been very good for them but we need to broaden their horizons further and they need to come to the UK where I believe they will add a lot of spice to the game. They bring a lot of Scottish virtues. They love to play for their country, love to play for the team they're in and they've got a great work ethic while they are genetically well suited to rugby, particularly forward play."

He noted that Georgian players have the potential to offer much better value for money than highly paid Southern Hemisphere imports.

"I would think initially that would be the case because they have to prove themselves, but it also depends on what our team need," Dixon observed.

"Michael [Bradley] and Sean [Lineen, Glasgow's head coach] have a vision of how they want their teams to play so they will only take guys who will benefit them, but there are some very high quality players in Georgia."

Basilaia has won 23 caps since making his debut in 2008 and started three of Georgia's World Cup matches, scoring his second international try with a powerful charge from the base of the scrum in the defeat to England.

His recruitment from French club Valence d'Agen is subject to receiving a working visa, but if that goes through he will join the club at the start of the next season as part of the formidable looking forward, which will also welcome Free State Cheetahs' prop WP Nel.

"It's a great honour and opportunity for me to join such a high-profile club and I'm really looking forward to being part of a very exciting future and playing alongside some very talented players," said Basilaia. "The arrival of a new player always heightens supporters' enthusiasm and anticipation and I will not spare any efforts to meet those expectations. I'm in great shape, both physically and spiritually and can't wait to pull on the black and red shirt of Edinburgh Rugby."

Bradley believes Basilaia has the potential to make the same sort of impact on the European stage that countrymen Jaba Bregvadze and Akvsenti Giorgadze have at Toulouse as well as Davit Zirakashvili at Clermont Auvergne.

"I believe that Dimitri will prove to be a very significant signing for Edinburgh Rugby," said the coach. "He's a fantastic fit for this club and will contribute a huge amount to an increasingly aggressive and combative forward unit at Edinburgh Rugby, while his ball handling skills are such that we can maintain and strengthen our fast-paced, offloading game."