“They have come and watched me all these years. I owe them a great deal”

paid tribute to his UK fans as he made his final competitive appearance on a British golf course at Royal Lytham yesterday.

TOM WATSON

Edinburgh new boy Nic Groom is looking forward to his first taste of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe during August and he also wants to help his club put on a show when their season starts in September.

Scrum-half Groom, 29, joined the capital outfit from Super Rugby side Lions last month and brings with him a wealth of experience having amassed over 100 appearances for both the Stormers and Northampton Saints in recent seasons.

He has been enjoying preseason with his new teammates in recent weeks and is hoping to get some time to take in the Festival soon after NIC GROOM “It just seems like there’s a lot of promise in the place, alotof ambition”

it kicks off on Friday. “I haven’t booked anything yet, there are a few things I’d like to get round to seeing,” he said. “We are staying pretty central at the minute and already there is loads going on ahead of the Festival so it is exciting.

“I have always wanted to be in Edinburgh for the Festival so I can’t wait until it gets started. I enjoy comedy, I love live music, I really appreciate the arts. I’ve got a lot of time for those street performers, someone banging out covers singing their heart out. That’s really cool to watch. I dabble in the guitar, but am very much self-taught.

“I’m really excited to linkup with Edinburgh. I’ve been keeping an eye on their results from South Africa and it’s definitely a club on the rise. I can’t wait to play my role in the seasons to come.

“I’ve been part of some really successful, established teams, so it’s going to be exciting to join a team that is maybe just scratching the surface of how far they can go. It just seems like there’s a lot of promise in the place, a lot of ambition – you want to be joining a place like that. There’s an opportunity to be part of something a lot bigger than rugby.”

Groom’s arrival means Edinburgh have two experienced nines, with Henry Pyrgos also vying for the starting jersey.