Tonga international prop David Feao has joined Leicester Tigers ahead of the 2018/19 season.
The 27-year-old Feao played for Tonga in their three summer Tests against Georgia, Fiji and Samoa, and has previous experience in European rugby after spells with French clubs La Rochelle and Narbonne.
Feao, who was born in Brisbane and played his club rugby with Souths, Brisbane City and NSW Country Eagles in Australia before moving to France, weighs in at around 20 stones and joins his new club colleagues in the build-up to the new season now that the paperwork on his move has been completed.
The former Australia Schoolboys cap went to the Junior World Championships with Tonga Under-20s in 2010 and played for Tonga ‘A’ in the Pacific Nations Cup before stepping up to Test status.
He initially joined La Rochelle on a short-term contract at the end of the 2015/16 season but then stayed for an extra season before moving to Narbonne.
Tigers head coach Matt O’Connor said: “David comes in with some good experience in Europe and we think he can continue to make good progress here. He is a big, powerful man and we look forward to getting him to work in the build-up to the new season.”
Former Tigers props Logovi’i Mulipola (Newcastle Falcons), Michele Rizzo (Petrarca) and Ben Betts (Ealing Trailfinders) have joined new clubs since the end of last season, while Kyle Traynor and Chris Baumann have also left Welford Road at the end of their contracts.
