Edinburgh bolster their backline arsenal
Edinburgh have signed exciting South African-born 22-year-old Northampton Saints utility back Greig Tonks who will add considerably to the backline arsenal at Murrayfield.
Tonks has earned rave reviews in his time at Franklin’s Gardens, scoring seven tries in 19 appearances since he joined from the Leicester Tigers’ Academy in 2010.
A combative presence with deft-play making skills, Greig has largely been deployed at fullback but his talents mean he excels also at flyhalf and centre. His game management and thundering boot also made him a popular figure with fans in his stint with the Saints.
An Economics graduate from Leicester University, Tonks is eligible to play for Scotland through his Ayrshire born mother and has signed a two-year contract with the club, taking him up to the summer of 2014.
Edinburgh head coach Michael Bradley, said: “We’re very happy to have secured the services of Greig [Tonks]. 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,” he added.
Born in Pretoria, Tonks moved to England aged two and settled in Nottingham before being selected for the Leicester Tigers Academy and playing three seasons on loan with his home town’s Championship side and the England Under-16, U18 and U20 sides.
Tonks commented: “Edinburgh play 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.
“To play at Murrayfield will also be fantastic. It’s an impressive international arena with incredible training facilities so 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 name to join Edinburgh since South African prop WP Nel signed from Super Rugby side Free State Cheetahs, while 13 other leading players, including free scoring winger Tim Visser and Scotland internationalists Greig Laidlaw, David Denton and Lee Jones, have also committed to an exciting future building at Edinburgh.
