New Edinburgh signing Tonks eligible to play for Scotland

Rugby reporter

Wednesday 29 February 2012

Having trailed Glasgow in the signing stakes for most of this season, Edinburgh appear to be making up for lost time.

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Alasdair Reid

Two weeks ago, the capital outfit confirmed that Free State Cheetahs prop WP Nel would be joining them at the end of this season, and yesterday it was announced that Northampton Saints utility back Greig Tonks will also be on their books by the start of the new campaign.

While the Edinburgh coach Michael Bradley pointed out that Tonks' versatility is one of his major assets, it may be significant that the player has mostly been used at full-back by the Saints, featuring in a number of games when the England internationalist Ben Foden was unavailable.That background is sure to heighten speculation that Chris Paterson, who retired from Test rugby at the end of last year, may be about to step down from the club game as well.Tonks has played age-grade international rugby for England at under-16, under-18 and under-20 levels, but he has a complex background, having been born in South Africa to a mother who hails from Ayrshire, a connection that means he is eligible to play for Scotland.Tonks, 22, appears to have spent the past few seasons on a peripatetic journey round the most famous clubs in the East Midlands of England. Prior to joining Northampton on a full-time basis, he had three seasons at Nottingham and also had a brief stint as a Leicester Tigers player. Along the way, he also managed to collect a degree in economics from Leicester University."We're very happy to have secured the services of Greig," said Bradley. "His age profile is very good and he's a brave, skilful, aggressive player and is a quality striker of a rugby ball."We play a fast and expansive brand of rugby which requires talented and intuitive players who can understand and react to playing different positions in pressured situations, so his versatility is a huge plus."Another stand-out characteristic is that he's an extremely driven player with a hunger for success that sits well with the ambitions of this club."Tonks is also a proven finisher, having scored seven tries in 19 appearances for Northampton. His move to Murrayfield actually represents a return to one of the most significant venues in his career, for it was at the national stadium that he made his Heineken Cup debut for Northampton against Edinburgh early last season.Tonks said: "Edinburgh play a really good, attacking style of running rugby. It's something I noticed when I played against them last season. They have the ability to take teams apart at speed and being part of that is something I'm very excited about."

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New Edinburgh signing Tonks eligible to play for Scotland

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