AHEAD of the opening pre-season friendly, on Friday 21 August at the Greenyards against Romania, Edinburgh Rugby has announced that Scotland age grade and Melrose scrum-half Murdo McAndrew will be joining the club for a four-month trial period with immediate effect.

Along with a number of other local club and Scotland 7s players, the half-back has been training with Edinburgh during their pre-season this summer and has impressed to formalise the arrangement.

He said: "I am delighted to get this opportunity. I went through a tough pre-season with the club and it's great to get rewarded with this chance to show what I can do.

"I had a good season with Melrose last year and trained the whole of this pre-season with Edinburgh, as the club needed scrum-half cover.

"Everyone at the club has been really friendly and welcoming and the senior players have been really helpful over the last few months, so I know I have plenty of people I can go to for advice.” McAndrew, who hails from the Howe of Fife club where his dad, Les, was minis coach, starting playing when he was six. He went on to lift the Brewin Dolphin Plate as a member of the Bell Baxter High School team in 2009.

Then at age grade international level, he represented Caledonia at under-16, under-17 and under-18, winning the interdistrict championships at the younger age grades.

After impressing in the Rugby Europe (formerly FIRA) Championships in France with Scotland under-18 in 2012, he was spotted and signed by Clermont Auvergne, straight from school, and spent two years there prior to returning to Scotland to play for Melrose last season.

He said: "Moving to France at a relatively young age was fairly daunting but it was an excellent opportunity to develop my skills there, at a time when Nathan Hines, Jason White and Mark Bennett were also involved with the club.

"Then I got the opportunity to return to Scotland and was able to get more game time last season at Melrose.” McAndrew made his Scotland under-20 debut against Ireland in the 6 Nations opener in January 2014 and went on to win another three caps at that level that season.

Head coach Alan Solomons said: "Murdo is a talented young club player who has fitted in well at Edinburgh.

"He has earned the opportunity afforded to him which accords with our vision of building a sustainable club through the medium of young Scottish talent."

As Edinburgh head to the Greenyards this Friday (21 August, kick-off 6.30pm) to play their pre-season opener against Romania, McAndrew may well find his first outing in the black and red is, oddly, on familiar turf.

He said: "Yes, it would be a bit strange but in a good way! It's a great pitch and the Borders people are really supportive so it would be great if that happened, in front of a good crowd.”