The 29-year-old earlier this week left the Scarlets ‘by mutual consent’ and is immediately available for selection with his new side – Edinburgh.
The athletic MacLeod joined the Scarlets in 2006 and immediately impressed with his ball handling skills. We went on to gain international recognition with Scotland and eventually made 55 appearances for the region.
However this season he has fallen in the second row pecking order as Scarlets coach Nigel Davies turned to youngsters Dominic Day and Lou Red along with veteran Vernon Cooper and Kiwi import Simon Maling.
After signing a contract until the summer of 2011, the Hawick-born forward says is eager to learn under former England coach Andy Robinson’s tutelage and admits he is aiming to fight for his place in Edinburgh’s engine room.
MacLeod said: “I definitely feel like I’m making the right move and I’m really excited at the prospect of playing for Edinburgh.
“I was coached by Andy Robinson while on tour with Scotland over in Argentina and working with him on a day-to-day basis will definitely help me to improve as a player.
“He is a hard coach, but he gets the best out of his players. It is the best move I could have made at this stage in my career, especially after going through a difficult year.
“I’m looking forward to a fresh start and working hard towards achieving my career goals for both Edinburgh and Scotland.”
Another major factor behind his switch back to Scotland was that MacLeod wanted to be closer to his family after recently becoming a father for the first time.
He added: “Away from rugby, my wife and I recently had our first baby, so moving back closer to home will make a big difference. I’m also good friends with Allan Jacobsen and a lot of the other boys which will make the move a lot easier.”
Despite acknowledging the competition for places in Edinburgh’s second row, MacLeod says he is looking forward to the challenge and believes contesting for a spot could help him re-establish himself in the national side.
He said: “If I can manage to get into the Edinburgh team then it will benefit my game and could probably increase my chances of playing for Scotland.”
Robinson welcomed the team’s latest arrival which takes the number of Scottish qualified players in Edinburgh’s 42-man squad to an impressive 95 per cent; including 18 capped internationalists.
Robinson said: “Scott is a quality second row forward and he will provide extra strength in that department, especially with Matt (Mustchin) and Steven (Turnbull) still ruled out through injury.
“I’m looking forward to working with him again after our time together in Argentina and I believe he will be a useful signing.
“He will have to work hard in order to challenge for a place in our pack and his arrival underlines our ambitions as we look to achieve our best ever finish in the Magners League.
“This is a good move for both Edinburgh and Scottish Rugby.”
