Fijian prop Campese Ma’afu signs with Saints

Ma’aphu, who has been capped 39 times by Fiji, will join the Saints with immediate effect>

Director of rugby Jim Mallinder says that Ma’afu will add cover in an important position.

“Campese will add to our experience in one of the most important positions on the field,” he said. “He has played at the highest international level at two Rugby World Cups, and he will give us options, both for the rest of this season and in years to come.

“We were impressed by how he played in the World Cup earlier in the season, especially against England at Twickenham.”

Commenting on joining the Saints, Ma'afu said: “Northampton is going to be a great club to be a part of. During my time at Nottingham and when Salesi was here I was at quite a lot of the home games. There’s a great atmosphere here, and I hope I’ve got a lot to offer to the team.

“Playing in the Aviva Premiership was a goal for me as soon as I moved to the northern hemisphere. Now that I’ve been blessed with this opportunity with the Saints it’s something I really want to do my best at.

“I know there’s big competition for the jersey. The Waller brothers are both quality looseheads, and it’s going to be good competition for me to play alongside a good bunch of boys.”