Lee-Roy Atalifo: Edinburgh sign Fiji prop for next season
- Published
Lee-Roy Atalifo has won 13 caps for Fiji
Edinburgh have signed Fiji international prop Lee-Roy Atalifo from next season.
The tight-head, 31, has earned 13 caps and joins Richard Cockerill's side after three campaigns at English Championship team Jersey Reds.
Pro14 Conference B leaders Edinburgh will travel to South Africa for their next matches against Southern Kings and Cheetahs later this month.
Cockerill believes Atalifo will provide "plenty of experience and physicality".
The former Leicester Tigers boss added: "He has shown at international level that he can perform at the highest level."
An engineering graduate, Atalifo worked as a firefighter in Fiji before winning his first cap six years ago and featuring at the 2015 World Cup.
After stints in Italy and New Zealand, he joined Jersey in 2017, and has amassed 60 outings for the English side, where he played with Edinburgh and Scotland number eight Nick Haining.
Atalifo, who made two appearances at last year's World Cup, becomes the fourth Fijian at Edinburgh, joining Viliame Mata, Eroni Sau and Mesulame Kunavula.
"The move represents a great opportunity for me to be part of such a historic club," he said.
"I'm excited to do able to continue doing what I love and to test myself against the very best in the Pro14 as well as on the European stage."