After last week's fumbled effort to expand the international team's talent pool sparked a battle with the Welsh over Steven Shingler's future, the Scottish Rugby Union turned the focus back to homegrown talent yesterday, announcing that Matthew Scott has agreed an enhanced and extended contract with Edinburgh.

The 21-year-old, who made his name with Currie, has seized his opportunity since being offered what was effectively an apprentice contract last summer, establishing himself as a regular in the Edinburgh midfield this season; this deal is both deserved and very much in the club's interest.

Andy Robinson, Scotland's head coach, has rightly emphasised the need to trawl as widely as possible for Scottish-qualified talent, as in the yet to be decided case of Shingler, who is awaiting an International Rugby Board ruling on whether he had already committed himself to Wales, the land of his birth.

The influence of a reactionary element in the Scottish rugby community that resents the selection of such imports has, in the recent past, created an inflated market for homegrown players, with many of moderate ability receiving much bigger fees than they would have elsewhere.

The best of both worlds is to improve the scouting system, as Robinson is doing with the arrival later this year of Scott Johnson, the senior assistant coach whose remit will include scouting; the emerging domestic talent is also improving and Scott is just one of many examples of that this season.

That was reflected in the words of Michael Bradley, Edinburgh's head coach, yesterday, as the Irishman welcomed the news of the extension of Scott's contract until 2014.

"It's fantastic for the club to have bright young players like Matt Scott committing to the club," he said.

"He took full advantage of the opportunity offered to our younger players when the internationalists were at the Rugby World Cup and has worked hard to keep his place in the squad since their return.

"He's an Edinburgh boy through and through, so it means a lot to him to get this deal and I'm sure he'll prove to be an asset to the club in the years to come."

For his part the player, a bright young thing in every sense since he is also just completing his law degree at Edinburgh University, is excited about playing for his home club.

"Michael has shown a lot of faith in me this season and it's good to know that my performances have merited a lot of game time and this new contract which will allow me to pursue my dreams at the club I've grown up supporting," said Scott.

He is just the latest promising youngster to commit his future to the club, following on from the contract extensions awarded to stand-offs Harry Leonard and Gregor Hunter and forwards David Denton, Stuart McInally and Steven Turnbull.

It has been a similar situation at Glasgow Warriors, where Stuart Hogg, Duncan Weir and Chris Fusaro have all earned significant pay rises by seizing the chance that was offered when their more established club-mates were in New Zealand at the start of the season.

Having been mentioned in despatches by Robinson when the coach named his 36-man Scotland training squad last week, Scott could find that his rapid rise through the ranks continues, particularly if the International Rugby Board decrees that Shingler is not Scottish qualified.

When naming the London Irish youngster in that squad, Robinson explained that he was looking for more of a play-making inside centre than Graeme Morrison and Sean Lamont, who have been chosen in that position for their strong running ability.

While he is far from a slight figure at 6ft 1in and 15 stones, Scott is another who can bring that more rounded game that Robinson is looking for, having spent most of his career with Currie as a stand off.