EDINBURGH have signed loosehead prop Darryl Marfo on a one-year deal from Bath. The 26-year-old is eligible to represent Scotland as his mother is from Ayrshire, but his priority will be to challenge for a regular place in a squad where he knows he has a lot of competition.
“I’m massively excited to be joining Edinburgh,” he said yesterday. “It seems to be a really exciting time at the club.
“The Edinburgh front row is talked about in such high regard in rugby circles, so it’s great to have the opportunity to be around those guys. Hopefully I can contribute towards making that unit stronger. I can't wait to get cracking.”
Marfo will begin the season behind three Scotland internationals in the pecking order - Allan Dell, the current Scotland No 1, Alasdair Dickinson and Rory Sutherland. But head coach Richard Cockerill hopes that the new signing will at least give that trio a run for the money and prove himself a worthy stand-in if the need arises.
“Darryl is a big, powerful scrummager and carrier of the ball,” Cockerill said. "He has plenty of promise, and we look forward to seeing him compete for a spot in the coming season.”
Bath only signed Marfo on a short-term contract from London Welsh in January, and he made three appearances for the West Country club. He had played 10 times for his previous club earlier in the season, and moved on in the week that they were expelled from the Championship after being forced into liquidation. Born in London, he spent several years as a Harlequins player before joining London Welsh in the summer of 2015.
The front-row forward is just the latest signing by Edinburgh as Cockerill revamps the squad. Centre Robbie Fruean joined last week, also from Bath, while wingers Jason Harries and Duhan van der Merwe were recruited from London Scottish and Montpellier respectively last month.
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