A tremendous athlete of great versatility, David Denton looks certain to become a mainstay of Scotland squads for years to come.

The giant back-row, who can also play at lock, was born in Zimbabwe and educated in South Africa but he qualifies for Scotland through his mother and, after moving to Edinburgh University to study economics, he rose to prominence after turning in a string of impressive performances for his adopted nation during the 2010 Under-20s Six Nations.

Indeed, his fine form earned him a deal with Edinburgh and he quickly set about vindicating the club's faith in him by turning in startlingly mature displays in the Magners League. It came as no surprise, then, when Denton was named in Andy Robinson's provisional squad for the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

He made his Scotland debut off the bench against Ireland in August 2011. Denton failed to make the cut for the 2011 World Cup but in response, he started the 2011-12 season in spectacular form for Edinburgh.

He was at the forefront of everything they were doing well in the Heineken Cup and helped take them to home and away victories over Racing Metro. His form was rewarded with a call up to the Scotland squad for the 2012 Six Nations where he started all five of their games. It was a dreadful campaign for Andy Robinson's side but Denton, along with Ross Rennie in the back-row, was one of the few shining lights and he also took the man-of-the-match award against England in the first match of the tournament.

Denton continued to shine for Edinburgh and was once again in incredible form as they downed Toulouse at the quarter-final stage of the Heineken Cup. He looked set to be a key part of Scotland's squad for their tour to the southern hemisphere at the end of the 2011-12 season but injury halted that prospect as he was ruled out of contention.