Northampton Saints have signed Italy international prop Danilo Fischetti from Zebre for next season.
The 27-year-old picked up his 50th cap for the Azzurri during this year’s Six Nations and has previously played in England for London Irish.
He said: “The competitiveness and the support from the fans across the league is very good.
“I remember coming into Franklin’s Gardens for the first time a few years ago and being blown away by the place, and the way the supporters got behind the team was really crazy.
“The opportunity to play for Northampton is incredible. I enjoyed watching the team win the Premiership title last year, and repeating that is a huge target for me – I am coming here to try to win trophies.”
Director of rugby Phil Dowson said: “Danilo was very much the standout candidate when we looked around at loosehead props to boost our front-row options next season.
“He has a huge amount to offer in the loose as well, both in attack and defence, and we are confident we can continue to help him improve so he can have even greater impacts on games. He’ll be a huge asset for us.”
Earlier on Tuesday Northampton confirmed that Tom Seabrook, Tarek Haffar and Reuben Logan will leave the club at the end of the season.
