Edinburgh reach deal to bring Will Helu to capital

EDINBURGH have announced that Will Helu will join them from London Wasps at the start of next season on a two-year contract.

Edinburgh Rugby head coach Alan Solomons. Picture: Jane Barlow

The 19-times capped Tonga international - part of the squad that beat France in Rugby World Cup 2011 - scored seven tries in Wasps’ run to the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup last season.

Helu, who plays wing or centre, told Edinburgh’s official website: “I jumped at the chance to move to Edinburgh, after meeting (head coach) Alan (Solomons) and hearing him speak about the potential of the club - and obviously you guys are doing well, especially winning the 1872 Cup last weekend.

“I think I’ve a lot to give on the field - a lot of ball in hand, running rugby.”

Helu’s experience of playing in Scotland is limited to an outing in Aberdeen, when Tonga beat the national side at Pittodrie, but he is looking forward to meeting up with a former team mate on arrival at BT Murrayfield.

He said: “I played with Neil Cochrane at Wasps last season and it’ll be good to link up with a familiar face.”

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Edinburgh also announced that 19-year-old Magnus Bradbury, having joined the club over the summer as a BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy player, will graduate to a two-year pro player contract on June 1.

The 6ft 4in number eight, who hails from Oban, worked his way through the age grades for Glasgow, then Edinburgh and Scotland and is in the Scotland Under-20 squad for this year’s Six Nations.

Bradbury made his full professional team debut for the club, in the starting XV, in October’s Guinness PRO12 fixture at the RDS against Leinster.

He said: “It was a great experience and really opened my eyes to the intensity of the pro game. Training with the guys is one thing but that game was a snapshot of what a step up it is.

“This is something I’ve been working towards for years and I just want to keep on pushing, training to the best of my ability and to keep on raising my game.”

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