Last updated on .From the section Rugby Union

Hardie signed for Edinburgh after impressing for Scotland at the 2015 World Cup

Scotland flanker John Hardie will leave Edinburgh at the end of the season, head coach Richard Cockerill has confirmed.

The New Zealand-born 29-year-old returned from a three-month suspension for gross misconduct in January following allegations of cocaine use.

Cockerill said disciplinary issues played no part in his decision not to extend Hardie's deal.

"We have a lot of young guys coming through," said Cockerill.

"John is the same as a lot of other guys, financially we need to spread our costs.

"We have to make sure we are getting value out of our budget. We have guys like Jamie Ritchie and Luke Crosbie coming through, while Hamish Watson is first choice for Scotland.

"Add in John Barclay (who arrives this summer) and there is a lot of good back-row players.

"We need to get value from the squad and get the right balance moving forward."

Hardie, who made his Scotland debut in 2015 and has 16 caps, was called up to the training squad for last weekend's loss to Six Nations champions Ireland but is not involved in preparations for the trip to Italy on Saturday.