Edinburgh Rugby have signed Exeter Chiefs lock Stan South on a short-term loan.

The 23-year-old bolsters the second-row at a time when a number of Richard Cockerill’s men are on international duty for Scotland at the Six Nations.

The 6ft 5in former England U20 lock has made three appearances for the 2017 Premiership Champions, whom he joined from Harlequins at the start of the current campaign.

He will link up with the capital side immediately and looks forward, he says, to improving further as a player at Murrayfield.

“I want to play a high standard of rugby and continue to develop as a player," he said.

“Edinburgh have a great reputation and the coaches at the club will no doubt help me achieve this. I’m looking forward to linking up with the squad.”

The Englishman has a strong pedigree having played at a high level all the way through the junior ranks. He captained Sutton and Epsom U16s, Surrey U16s and U17s, Whitgift first XV as well as Harlequins U18s, before joining the London club on a full-time contract.

South debuted for the Londoners against Gloucester in 2015, while he had previously been nominated for the Anglo-Welsh Cup Breakthrough Player of the Year award following some strong performances for the club at both lock and in the back-row.

After joining Exeter this summer on an initial one-year deal, South was quickly thrown into the fray, featuring in this season's Premiership Rugby Cup, where he has helped the Chiefs reach the last four of the competition.

He will look to bring that form up north and continue Edinburgh's good season so far, with the side in a good position in both the Pro14 and the Challenge Cup.

And so head coach Cockerill is delighted to have strengthened his squad during this vital period, with the capital club’s next outing coming a week on Saturday with their visit to Scarlets in the Pro14.

“We’re obviously a little light in the second-row position during this period due to international selection, so it’s brilliant that we’ve been able to bring in a player of Stan’s quality,” said Cockerill.

“He’s a really strong ball carrier that clearly brings a level of physicality to that position group. We’re delighted to get this deal done ahead of a vital run of fixtures.”