Premiership club Sale Sharks snap up Ioane

English Premiership Rugby club Sale Sharks have announced that they have signed Samoan international TJ Ioane from Super Rugby side the Highlanders for the second half of the campaign with immediate effect.

Twenty-five-year-old flanker Ioane who previously played for Otago and Super 15 side the Highlanders – has signed for the rest of the campaign and he has already been integrated into the Sale squad.

A member of the New Zealand schools side back in 2007, Ioane was part of the Samoan Test side that played England in November and as well as playing as a blind side flanker, he can also operate as a number eight.

And Sale boss Steve Diamond has hailed his capture, saying: “TJ is a great signing for us and I am sure that he will become a very valuable member of our squad and be very popular with our fans.

Ioane, who arrived in Manchester on Monday having traveled 12,000 miles from Wellington in New Zealand and who has already trained with the Sharks squad, revealed he was eager to prove himself in the Premiership.

“I’m looking forward to getting an opportunity to play for Sale,” he said.

“I’ll have to quickly learn the calls and team pattern first with the season being halfway through and then hopefully I can be included in the matchday 23 squad.

“Hopefully, Sale will see that I tackle hard and run hard and that I can bring some enthusiasm and aggression to the forwards and the defence.”