EDINBURGH RUGBY have signed Matt Smith until the end of the season.

The back-row has made the switch from Glasgow Warriors, where he jined as an academy prospect in 2014.

The flanker made his debut for Glasgow in early 2017 and scored two tries in 25 appearances.

On making the switch to Edinburgh, 23-year-old Smith said: “I’m delighted with the opportunity to come on loan to Edinburgh. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to the rest of the season”

As Edinburgh target making the play-offs in the Pro14, where they currently sit in first place in their conference, as well as progressing past the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup, where they face Bordeaux Begles in April in the last eight, head coach Richard Cockerill is delighted to have strengthened his squad going into this vital part of the season.

“Matt is a young, talented player who has shown during his time at Scostoun that he can perform at the highest level,” he said.

“It’s great that he gets an opportunity here at Edinburgh and he will certainly add a different dimension to an already talented back-row.”

Having come through the ranks at Stirling County – where the back-row won the National Youth League Cup final in 2013 – Smith secured an Elite Development Programme place with Glasgow Warriors ahead of the 2014-15 season.

The 6ft 1in flanker was named as a Fosroc Scottish Rugby Academy Stage 3 player in 2015, before joining Premiership club Glasgow Hawks that season.

Smith signed his first professional contract with the Warriors in December 2016 and made his debut against Ospreys the following February.

The back-row capped off his breakthrough season in professional rugby with his first two tries from the bench against Zebre in April 2017.

On the international stage, Smith has earned age-grade honours with Scotland U20, while the back-row was rewarded for a fine start to the 2018/19 season with a call-up to Scotland’s Guinness Six Nations squad for the 2019 Championship.