The 29-year-old, stood down from the Scotland tour of Argentina citing a need for a break and now feels he is ready to embark on a fresh start with a new club.

Smith leaves after 167 outings in the black and red jersey – Edinburgh’s second leading all-time appearance holder – and now hopes to add to his 25 Scotland caps, the last of which were earned in the RBS 6 Nations.

He said: “I’ve done a bit of soul-searching and I’m very grateful to Edinburgh for all the opportunities that I’ve enjoyed since I came back to Scotland from the Stoke club in Nelson, New Zealand in 2000.

“But I feel now that a new challenge would be the best thing to give this stage of my rugby career some impetus. I’d like to thank Edinburgh and Scottish Rugby for their understanding in agreeing to my request.

“I will leave with many happy memories and pride at playing my part in making Edinburgh, on our day, one of the best teams in the Magners League and an attacking side to be reckoned with in Europe.”