Whitehaven have bolstered their squad ahead of the Super 8s with the signing of prop forward Thibaut Ancely from French side Lezignan.
Frenchman Ancely has previously played for Toulouse in the Championship and also made two appearances for Catalans Dragons in Super League.
The news comes after Haven revealed that winger Jordan Sigismeau, who joined on a short-term deal from French side UTC has left the club to join Catalans Dragons.
The flier scored six tries in three appearances after making his debut in the Blackpool Summer Bash fixture against Workington Town at the end of May.
Louis Jouffret, who arrived at The Recreation Ground with Sigismeau, is unavailable for this weekend’s fixture against London Broncos due to University commitments but will be back in time for the crucial derby fixture against Workington Town at The Recreation Ground next Sunday.
Speaking about his new signing, Haven boss James Coyle said: “We were alerted to him by his agent and I asked a lot of people, including Steve Deakin, what they thought of him.
“Everything seemed positive and he should bring a lot to our side.
“He’s got a quick play of the ball and he knows our systems so it should be a good fit for us and it’s important that we have plenty of numbers going into the Super 8s at the start of next month.”
With forwards Stephen Fox, Tyla Hepi and Kurtis Quinn due to return from injury in the next few weeks, head coach Coyle is delighted with the luxury of choice he has in the pack.
“There’s a lot of numbers to pick from now and there will be a couple of people who will be disappointed and miss out,” Coyle said. “But it’s up to them to react properly and get back into the side.
“If someone isn’t 100 per cent it’s not worth risking them and it means someone else can come in while they are resting.”
