Kyle Whyte signs with Edinburgh until end of season
Thursday 3 November 2016 15:27, UK
Edinburgh Rugby have signed South African-born tighthead prop Kyle Whyte until the end of the season.
The 21-year-old is Edinburgh's first player to be under a partnership contract, meaning he is also eligible to play for Scottish Premiership side, Watsonians.
Whyte has featured for South-African outfit Western Province at both U19 and U21 level, before featuring for the first-team seven times, representing the club in the Currie Cup semi-finals.
With local connections - Whyte's father was born in Scotland - Whyte has had one eye on making the switch for some time.
Whyte said: "It's a very exciting time and prospect for me. With my dad being born here, I've always been interested in coming over to Scotland, so I'm looking forward to getting started and proving myself."
Whyte also expressed his desire to master his craft alongside some of Edinburgh's senior international players.
"To have the opportunity to train with the likes of WP [South-Africa born Scotland international WP Nel] is very exciting. He's someone in particular I'm keen to learn from and look to for hints and tips on the art of scrummaging."
Having a partnership contract, Whyte feels having the reassurance of regular games will go a log way in helping the prop's development.
"If I'm not selected to play for Edinburgh at the weekend, it's good to know I've got a club in Watsonians which will help me to get some good quality game time and improve as a player," said Whyte.
Duncan Hodge, Edinburgh Rugby acting head coach, believes the addition of Whyte has created a buzz around the club.
"We're delighted to have another young, talented prop enter the fray to compete for a spot in the team," said Hodge.
"It's exciting to have a partnership contracted player at the club and we feel that Kyle will reap the benefits in terms of his development in spending time with Edinburgh Rugby and Watsonians."
