Ambitious Championship leaders Featherstone Rovers have signed former Toulouse halfback Johnathon Ford.
The move comes three weeks after they recruited fullback Mark Kheirallah after he also controversially left the French club.
Both featured as Toulouse beat Featherstone 34-12 in last year’s Million Pound Game, after which Brian McDermott replaced James Webster as Rovers coach.
Featherstone had already recruited heavily over the close-season in a bid to finally win a place in Super League for the first time.
Rovers say former Sydney Roosters player, Toulouse skipper and Cook Islands international Ford, 32, could join up with them later this week.
“I can’t describe how happy I am to share the field again with my best mate (Kheirallah),” he said.
“We have a connection that’s hard to find, where we barely have to talk on the field, we both just know what the other one is thinking. It really is something special.”
After coming through the Newcastle Knights system, 6ft 4in Ford made three NRL appearances for the Roosters before joining Toulouse in 2012.
Featherstone chief executive Martin Vickers said: “I’m delighted to welcome a player of Johno’s talent and experience.
“We’ve said time and again that we will leave no stone left unturned in trying to achieve our goal and this is another clear demonstration of that policy.”
Ford added: “I spoke to Mark Kheirallah. He was rapping the place, and that gave me the itch to do something special again.
“I had a good chat with Martin Vickers and with Mac. I’m really stoked and really grateful to be given this opportunity.”
Having beaten Barrow 58-6 on Good Friday, their seventh win (with one draw) in eight Championship games this season, Rovers are next in action at Bradford in a Premier Sports-televised game on Monday, April 25.