LONDON BRONCOS coach Mike Eccles believes he has added a real edge to his attacking options by handing Hakim Miloudi a route back into Super League.
The French crowd-pleaser, who previously played in the top flight for Hull FC and Toronto Wolfpack, will link up with promoted London for the new campaign.
The 30-year-old, capped five times by Les Bleus and capable of playing anywhere in the backs, last appeared in the UK for Barrow.
Miloudi scored twelve tries in 39 appearances, helping the Raiders win promotion from League One in 2022.
His departure, along with that of winger Tee Ritson, was reckoned to be a major reason behind Barrow’s disappointing 2023 season (they finished eleventh).
Miloudi, from Perpignan, has since played in France’s domestic Elite 1 competition, this time around with Limoux after a year at Albi, and represented Algeria, his country of heritage, in rugby union sevens.
Now he is heading back to Super League, having made 15 appearances in the competition for Hull in 2018 and 2019 and six for Toronto before their withdrawal during the Covid-hit 2020 campaign.
Miloudi has also played on loan at Doncaster and has an overall record of 24 tries in 64 games in UK competitions.
Eccles says that experience will be invaluable among a hybrid squad of full and part-time players (the Broncos are highly unlikely to retain Super League status under the incoming IMG club-grading system).
“I have admired Hakim for a long time – his pure ‘x-factor’ and point of difference will be a great addition for us on an edge,” he explained.
“I believe he’s about to put his most complete package together as a player and will help us greatly.”
Miloudi, who began his career at home-city Saint-Estève XIII Catalan, the second string of Super League’s Catalans Dragons, said: “I’m so excited to sign for the Broncos. I can’t wait to start.”
The Broncos have brought both their first-team and Reserve squads under the same umbrella at their training base of Rosslyn Park RU Club.
The seconds will be led by Kieran Robertson, who has extensive coaching experience within the club’s recently-downgraded Academy.
“It has been an ambition to get all teams back on one site to improve player development,” said Eccles.
Meanwhile the Broncos have released their 2024 squad numbers, with Miloudi given shirt number four, but with shirt numbers two and six as yet unoccupied.
London 2024 squad numbers: 1 Alex Walker, 3 Jarred Bassett, 4 Hakim Miloudi, 5 Iliess Macani, 7 James Meadows, 8 Rob Butler, 9 Sam Davis, 10 Lewis Bienek, 11 Will Lovell, 12 Ethan Natoli, 13 Dean Parata, 14 Bill Leyland, 15 Marcus Stock, 16 Jordan Williams, 17 Sadiq Adebiyi, 18 Emmanuel Waine, 19 Rhys Kennedy, 20 Oli Leyland, 21 Robbie Storey, 22 Gideon Boafo, 23 Josh Rourke, 24 Matt Davies, 25 Harry Stevens, 26 Jensen Monk, 27 Dan Hoyes, 28 Jack Hughes.
