Edinburgh have announced the signing of Wicus Blaauw, a loosehead prop formerly of Stormers and Biarritz, on a two-year deal.
The 27-year-old will arrive next month, subject to passing a medical, with a wealth of experience forged in the top-flight competitions of the northern and southern hemisphere, and is widely revered as a powerful front-row technician. His signing follows the departure of the Welsh prop John Yapp, who has joined London Irish on a season-long loan.
Alan Solomons, Edinburgh's head coach, said: "I've seen a lot of Wicus. He's played a lot of games at a high level, for both the Western Province and the Stormers, in South Africa's premier provincial and Super Rugby sides, as well in the French Top 14 and Heineken Cup. He's a very strong loosehead prop and is very good at his core roles, especially scrummaging. I believe he will be an asset to Edinburgh Rugby."
Blaauw launched his career with the Leopards in the Currie Cup's first division before joining Western Province and establishing himself in the team that made the semi-final of the 2009 Premier division.
By that time, he had already earned his first call-up to the Stormers Super Rugby team in 2008 where, over the next four seasons, his set-piece power and bulldozing ball-carrying became an integral part of a formidable tight five. The unit was considered the backbone of the side's prominence of the time, and their journey to consecutive Super Rugby semi-finals in 2011 and 2012.
Blaauw then opted to broaden his rugby experience with a move to Biarritz, and went on to play 15 times for the French outfit in the Top 14 and Heineken Cup, before securing his move to Murrayfield.
He said: "I think it's the right place to help me improve as a player. It's always important to be physical and aggressive in this game at this level. I love scrummaging, I love running with the ball, and I love tackling. These are all things you have to do well and are things I'm looking forward to doing for Edinburgh as part of a solid, tight five. If we can work well together as a unit, we can help lead the team forward and lay a platform that will help us improve as a club."
Solomons expects the team he has picked to play Northampton Saints tonight to provide his first tangible "point of reference". He believes that only the combative nature of an 80-minute match will allow him to make his first performance mark.
"The players have worked and trained very hard in pre-season over the summer but I haven't seen them play or be put under pressure in a game," he said. "That is when we'll really start to learn something about this team and these players."
He has selected nine Scotland internationalists for the game at the Franklins Gardens home of England's Aviva Premiership runners up. Returning international prop Alasdair Dickinson will begin his second stint at the club in the loosehead jersey.
A further three new signings - Aleki Lutui (hooker), Jack Cuthbert (full-back/wing) and Ollie Atkins (lock) - and young scrum-half Sam Hidalgo-Clyne could make their debuts from the bench.
EDINBURGH (v Northampton Saints, friendly, Franklins Gardens, tonight 7.30) G Tonks; D Fife, N De Luca, M Scott, L Jones; P Francis, G Laidlaw (capt), A Dickinson, R Ford, WP Nel, G Gilchrist, I van der Westhuizen, S Cox, R Grant, D Denton
Substitutes: A Lutui, L Niven, G Cross, O Atkins, H Watson, S Kennedy, S Hidalgo-Clyne, J Cuthbert, D Basilaia, T Brown
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