Tonks: Heading north of the border

The 22-year-old, who can play full-back, fly-half and centre, has scored seven tries in 19 appearances for Saints since joining from the Leicester Tigers academy in 2010.

Pretoria-born Tonks has represented England at Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 level, but is eligible for Scotland through his Ayrshire-born mother and has agreed a deal at Murrayfield through to the summer of 2014.

Edinburgh head coach Michael Bradley said: "We're very happy to have secured the services of Greig. His age profile is very good and he's a brave, skilful, aggressive player and is a quality striker of a rugby ball.

"His versatility is a huge plus. Another standout characteristic is that he's an extremely driven player with a hunger for success that sits well with the ambitions of this club."

Tonks said: "This move presents a pretty awesome opportunity for me to develop as a player and be part of something special with Edinburgh."

Tonks is the latest player to join Edinburgh since South African prop WP Nel signed from Super 15 side Free State Cheetahs, while 13 other leading players, including winger Tim Visser and Scotland internationals Greig Laidlaw, David Denton and Lee Jones, have recently committed their futures to the club.