'Exciting time at Edinburgh' for Grayson after Japan journey

James Grayson believes Edinburgh are “desperate to do well for one another” after a winning start to the season.

The fly-half marked his debut by kicking 14 points in Friday’s 34-29 URC victory at Ulster and Sean Everitt’s side host Stormers this Friday.

The 28-year-old – son of former England international Paul Grayson – returned to the UK this summer after three years with Mitsubishi Sagamihara DynaBoars in Japan, which followed a seven-year spell at Northampton Saints.

“I found a group of lads that really want to work hard for each other and a group of a lot of young lads that are chomping at the bit,” Grayson told the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.

“I kind of came to a fork in the road at Northampton where if I wanted to get some consistent rugby then I was going to have to look elsewhere.

“And Japan kind of was the perfect tool for that. I probably didn’t go there expecting to stay for three seasons but I enjoyed the first season so much and it was such a welcoming club and country.

“I felt like the opportunity to stay and further my development there for another couple of seasons was necessary. Ultimately, got what I needed to out of that.

“When the opportunity to come back over this way presented itself for my partner and I, it was the right decision in the end.

“I feel like we’re just desperate to do well for one another. We’re all competitive. We want to perform. We’re in the performance industry. We want results. The way we’re going to play, we’re looking at being fast. We’re looking at being direct. It’s just an exciting time at Edinburgh as a player.”

Grayson admits “there was some conversations around” remaining in Japan and qualifying for the country’s national team under residency rules.

“Once you get to kind of three years, you know, it’s only a couple of years away before you are eligible,” Grayson explained.

“Once Edinburgh came knocking and the chance to come and play in the top division in Europe again what I feel like should be coming into the peak of my career as a stand-off, I felt like it was a really good opportunity to come and give it another crack over this side of the pond and get stuck in.”