Rob Moffat bolsters his squad with signing of Selkirk winger Jones

The Edinburgh-born player, who can also operate at scrum-half, has impressed while playing for the Philiphaugh-based club at Scottish Hydro Premier One level. That prompted a call-up into the Scotland 7s squad and he featured in the most recent tournament in Hong Kong.

Now the 21-year-old has been handed a chance to shine in the Magners League with Edinburgh and head coach Rob Moffat says Jones deserves his opportunity.

Moffat said: "I regularly watch club games and I keep my ear to the ground about promising players by listening to the opinions of people in the game that I trust.

"I spoke to Lee about the possibility of signing him as early as pre-season, but the timing needed to be right. Since then he has worked tremendously hard to get himself in the right condition and played consistently well.

"We have signed Lee to play on the wing, but there is a strong possibility that he will play some rugby at scrum-half and that ultimately may be his position. We felt the time was right for him to come into this environment and I believe he will do well."

Former Melrose coach Moffat believes the elevation of Jones into the professional ranks encourages talented amateurs that they can follow suit and play Magners League rugby.

He added: "There are quite a few players in our squad who proved their credentials by playing well in the club game and the reward they received was a professional contract. That sends out a really good message; you can look at the likes of John Houston, Jim Thompson and Mark Robertson as examples of club players being given a chance at professional level."

Edinburgh head to Wales to face Newport Gwent Dragons tomorrow, kick-off 5.05pm. If domestic flights continue to be disrupted, the team is expected to travel by coach.

Newport Gwent Dragons squad: M Thomas, W Harries, R Gomer Davies, M Watkins, T Riley, A Smith, R Fussell, J Arlidge, J Tovey, A Walker, J Leadbeater, W Evans, H Gustafson, T Willis (captain), L Burns, B Castle, P Palmer, R Sidoli, L Charteris, A Coombes, H MacDonald, J Bearman, T Faletau, G Thomas, G Webb.

Edinburgh: J Thompson; M Robertson, B Cairns, J Houston, T Visser; P Godman, M Blair (captain); A Jacobsen, R Ford, G Cross, S MacLeod, J Hamilton, A MacDonald, R Rennie, D Callam. Substitutes: A Kelly, K Traynor, S Turnbull/F McKenzie, S Newlands/R Grant, G Laidlaw, D Blair, S Webster/A Turnbull.