Scotland-qualified Cardiff prop Rhys Litterick heads north

Fresh off on the heels of revealing the signing of James Whitcombe from Leicester Tigers, Edinburgh have also announced the signing of tighthead prop Rhys Litterick from Cardiff Rugby on a two-year deal.

Litterick, who has a Glasgow-born grandfather, said: “I’m really looking forward to making the move to Edinburgh this summer. It’s a huge club full of quality players who pride themselves on their set piece and physicality, which is something I want to be a part of and learn from. As a tighthead, I take a lot of pride in my set-piece and working hard around the pitch.

“I want to keep improving as a player and learning as much as I can from the coaches and the boys around me. There’s a great setup in Edinburgh and I’m keen to take full advantage of that.”

Edinburgh are bidding to get their push for the URC play-offs back on track on Friday night when they face Zebre in Italy in a match brought forward due to the funeral of Pope Francis on Saturday.

A last-gasp defeat at home to the Sharks last weekend left Sean Everitt’s side 11th in the table and facing a scramble to get back into the top eight over the next three games.

Hamish Watson and Darcy Graham both return to the starting XV after being rested, while academy winger Jack Brown is handed his first professional start.

“This is a really important fixture for us as we look to bounce back from the Sharks game,” said head coach Everitt. “We know Zebre are a talented side, and they’ve shown they can be very strong at home.

“It’s vital that we go to Parma, put in another strong performance and maintain momentum as we enter the business end of the campaign.”

additonal reporting RugbyPass