Hull Kingston Rovers have confirmed the signing of Parramatta Eels centre Brad Takairangi.
The 31-year-old joins the club on a two-year deal after 11 seasons in the NRL.
Known to play at centre or second-row, the Robins won the race for the New Zealand international after Huddersfield cooled their interest.
“He’s a very experienced player with a lot of versatility,” said head coach Tony Smith.
“Brad is able to play in the back-row, centres and stand-off. His versatility and experience will be enormous for us and will add to our strength in depth in a number of positions. Should we need him to fill in any of those positions he will be more than comfortable and proficient.
“Brad is fresh off the back of a successful 2020 campaign with Paramatta Eels, where he starred in the semi-finals. He’s played at international level and nearly 200 games in the NRL, so he brings experience in various roles. He’s at the stage of his career where he’s in the leadership group, so he will help us further develop the younger players.
“Brad is a big guy and very mobile. He’s 6’4ft and about 107kg so he’s a big man and skilful with it. He’s got a good kicking game with the ability to pass and break the line. We’re excited about what he brings to us and creating plenty of competition for places.”
He added: “The Luis Johnson deal really enabled this to get across the line. That deal we did with Warrington allowed us to get to the levels in order to secure Brad, so whilst we weren’t on the lookout for that deal originally, it’s ended up helping us get two strong players.”
