London Scottish can today confirm the signing of five players from Aviva Premiership near-neighbours Harlequins on dual-registration contracts ahead of the 2014/15 season.

Scrum-half Sam Stuart and centre Harry Sloan will bolster an already impressive looking back division with back-rower James Chisholm and locks George Merrick and Sam Twomey adding depth to the forward pack.

Former England Under-20s scrum-half Stuart will be a familiar face to London Scottish fans having been on dual-registration last season, putting in a man of the match performance away to Pontypridd on his competitive debut in December.

Second rower Sam Twomey has made 12 appearances for London Scottish over two seasons on dual-registration and was part of Harlequins’ 2013 LV= Cup-winning squad.

Harry Sloan and James Chisholm were in this year’s England U20 squad which won the Junior World Cup in New Zealand. Both made Aviva Premiership debuts last season for Harlequins with Sloan scoring a crucial winning try against Worcester Warriors and Chisholm making his debut in a win away at Newcastle Falcons.

Lock George Merrick also made a number of appearances both for Harlequins in the Aviva Premiership and whilst dual registered at Ealing Trailfinders in the Greene King IPA Championship last season. George has also represented England at Under 18, 19 and 20 level.

Commenting on the new recruits, London Scottish Director of Rugby Mike Friday said: “We are fortunate to have a great relationship with Harlequins which has got stronger and stronger in recent seasons.

“As a result we have managed to secure a really strong pool of dual-registered players with an opportunity to bring in a few more faces during the season.”

He added: “Quins appreciate that their players benefit from the environment at London Scottish and we certainly benefit because the players seem to adjust very quickly to what we are looking for in terms of core values.”