Fruean joins Edinburgh
The former World Rugby Under-19 Player of the Year joins from English Premiership side Bath, where he was recruited by his former Canterbury coach and Edinburgh great Todd Blackadder.
On joining Edinburgh he said: "The vision Edinburgh and the new coaching staff have for the club's future success is something I'm really excited about and I am hoping I can add value to the team on and off the field.
"Having been to the city, it is a beautiful place and my family and I are really looking forward to calling Edinburgh our new home"
The centre, who is comfortable donning both the 12 and 13 jersey, made 66 appearances for Super Rugby's most successful side, Crusaders, over two stints (2010-13 and 2015-16) and amassed 70 points through 14 tries for the Canterbury-based side. He has also made appearances for New Zealand Super Rugby franchises Hurricanes and Chiefs.
His move to the Northern Hemisphere followed a two-year stint at Hawke's Bay, where he crossed the whitewash on nine occasions in 25 appearances.
A mainstay in the Canterbury's domestic campaigns between 2010-13, he finished his first season as the competition's joint top try-scorer (10) in 2010 and was named as Player of the Year in 2012.
Canterbury won the National Provincial Championship Cup each season Fruean was involved with his contribution of 20 tries proving highly influential to his side's success.
He has also played for Wellington in New Zealand's premier domestic competition, and scored five tries in 12 appearances for the North Island outfit.
Head Coach, Richard Cockerill, said: "Robbie joins the club with a huge amount of experience. He's renowned for his power and is a big attacking threat.
"During his time in Super Rugby, he has played alongside some of the game's modern greats and we look forward to him bringing that knowledge to the club both on and off the field."
