Mayer had originally moved north to his former club Watsonians in order to regain his fitness after a long injury lay-off. Mayer has now terminated his contract with Leeds and is on the lookout for a new team. Kiwi Searancke may be interested in bringing Mayer to Hughenden as he has made no secret of his desire for a more physical presence in the backs.
Meanwhile Donnie Macfadyen has spoken of his relief that his injury is not as serious as first feared. "It is a big relief. When it happened I heard a crack, but I have been told it is ligament damage. I will only be out for between 10 days and two weeks. Had I broken a bone it could have meant six weeks out."
Macfadyen went on to talk about his chances of taking Budge Puntney's place in the Scotland back-row. He said: "I was very surprised to hear of Budge's decision last week. Everybody thought he would be around for some time to come. The back-row is one of our strongest areas and there is a lot of competition for places. There will be a lot of guys in contention to take over. But I suppose Andrew Mower and myself are specialist open-sides and could easily slot in. The North American tour was my first lengthy experience with the national team. I had been involved with the A side, but usually from the bench. I thought I did OK and would be ready to have a go if called on."