Bath sign Scotland forward David Denton

Bath have signed Scotland back-row forward David Denton from Edinburgh, in a deal to offset the loss of Sam Burgess.

Denton should link up with Bath later this week, following completion of a medical.

Bath have finally settled on recruiting the Zimbabwe-born 25-year-old after failing to sign Taulupe Faletau.

The west country club were also understood to have shown strong interest in Schalk Burger and Louis Picamoles in their bid to replace Burgess, who has returned to rugby league and South Sydney.

Burgess' union conversion lasted just 12 months, with the dual-code international returning to Australia after England's dismal World Cup campaign.

"We've been looking to bolster our back-row for some time now so we're very excited that David is joining us," said Bath head coach Mike Ford.

"He had an excellent World Cup especially in the quarter-final where he managed to outshine one of the best Australian back rows I've seen for a long time.

"He's going to fit in very well with the team and the way we play here."

Bath had closed to the very cusp of completing a deal for Newport Gwent Dragons back-rower Faletau before the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) vetoed the deal.

Welsh bosses denied Faletau's transfer request, but the 24-year-old seems bound to leave the Dragons when his contract expires in the summer.

The Recreation Ground outfit had also targeted South Africa's Duane Vermeulen in the summer, only for the Springboks number eight to join Toulon instead.

Now Ford finally has a high-profile signing to ease the pain of losing Burgess, the league convert Bath had pinned their hopes on becoming a talismanic figure at the club.