Rugby: Georgian No. 8 Basilaia in frame for Edinburgh move

Edinburgh Rugby are poised to enter the transfer market again by signing a Georgian internationalist who played against Scotland at last year’s World Cup.

Georgian sources are heavily linking Dimitri Basilaia, a 26-year-old Tblisi-born No.8 who has been capped 19 times, with a move to Edinburgh, even going so far as to suggest it is a done deal.

Earlier this week Edinburgh signed Argentinian prop Ulises Gamboa from Italian side Aironi and the arrival of Basilaia from French club Valence d’Agen would add to the cosmopolitan flavour at the club. It also means Edinburgh are now well-covered in terms of strength in depth in the back-row. Basilaia, who stands 6ft 3in and weighs 16st, reportedly caught the eye of Edinburgh coach Michael Bradley when he was assisting with the coaching of the Georgian national team last year.

The media source states that Basilaia “now has a chance to make a good career in a serious rugby club.” Basilaia already has one thing he can boast over some potential new club-mates: he scored a try against England at the 2011 World Cup.