London Irish have drafted in Will Lloyd to bolster their options in the second row.
The 25-year-old lock arrives from Auckland and will remain with the Exiles for the rest of the season.
Lloyd has represented the Blues in Super Rugby and Auckland in the ITM cup.
It was impressive performances in the 2014 IYM competition which yielded him a place in this year’s Blues squad.
Standing in excess of two-metres tall, the new signing played the sport at junior levels in the North Harbour region before making the switch to Auckland in 2012.
Lloyd said: “Moving to London Irish presents me with a great opportunity to continue to play in one of the toughest leagues in the world.
“The facilities at Hazelwood are first class and there is a real ambition to push on in the competition.
“I’m delighted to be here and I’m looking forward to getting started.”
Glenn Delaney, head of rugby operations at Irish, added of Lloyd: “It is great to have WIll onboard for the remainder of the season.
“He is a tough lock forward who will add further depth to our forward pack and push hard for a starting position.”
Irish are away to near neighbours Harlequins in the Aviva Premiership on Saturday (3pm)
