Edinburgh have bolstered their strength in the second row after announcing the signing of former Vodacom Bulls lock Andries Ferreira.

Ferreira arrives on a one-year deal and will provide further support to the club’s second-row options following long-term injuries to both Grant Gilchrist and Fraser McKenzie.

The 30-year-old, who has previously turned out for South African sides the Bulls, Cheetahs and Lions, once again links up with head coach Richard Cockerill whom he played for at Toulon in 2016-17.

‘I’m really eager to get back playing again and make my mark in the PRO14,’ Ferreira said. ‘It’s a great competition with some brilliant players involved.

‘I obviously know coach Cockerill from my time with Toulon. He really sold me on the club, its ambition and the way they want to play rugby.

‘I can’t wait to get started and represent this great team and city.’

Ferreira came through the ranks at Eastern Province and the Blue Bulls, where he was subsequently named in the South African Schools squad in 2008.

The lock was a key man in the Blue Bulls U21 side before he made the move to Bloemfontein, joining the Cheetahs, as he searched for top-flight rugby.

Ferreira was a success from the get-go and went straight into the Cheetahs squad for the 2012 Super Rugby season, making his first appearance for the club in a season-opening defeat by the Lions.

The lock would make 20 appearances for the Cheetahs before joining Guinness PRO14 side Zebre in 2014, where he played just half a season before returning to South Africa with the Golden Lions.

Ferreira enjoyed a run of fixtures with the Johannesburg-based club before making the move to RC Toulon in 2016-17 following an injury to compatriot Juan Smith.

‘We’re obviously short in the second-row position, so it’s great that we’re able to bring in a player of Andries’ quality and experience,’ Cockerill said.

‘He’s a big man that has played plenty of rugby at a high level, while his work ethic and attitude are a good fit for the culture we have in place here at Edinburgh Rugby.

‘We’re looking forward to seeing him in action in the coming months.’

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