Aviva Premiership Rugby Club have signed Samoan international prop Logovi'i Mulipola on a permanent deal after a successful trial period.

Mulipola played in the 2011 Rugby World Cup for Samoa against the Springboks for a total of two minutes but has played for his country on six occasions.

The Samoan arrived in Leicester for a trial in November and was thrown in to an A League fixture and made his first team debut off the bench in Saturday's Aviva Premiership win over Wasps at Welford Road.

The twenty-four-year-old joined the Tigers from New Zealand club Hawkes Bay after Freddie Tuilagi recommended him.

Leicester's director of rugby Richard Cockerill said that he had been impressed with Mulipola's "raw talent".

"Freddie Tuilagi called me and said he had a prop that he would like me to have a look at," Cockerill told the Leicester Mercury.

"He has been here on trial and now he has signed for the rest of this year. We are looking to keep him longer term."

"He has raw talent and arrived a couple of stone heavier than he is now."

Leicester plan to use Mulipola during the Six Nations at Tighthead when England's Cole and Italy's Martin Castrogiovanni are away.

If the Tigers extend his contract he can fill in for loosehead Marcos Ayerza is away with Argentina in the FourNations at the start of next season.

"He can play at tight head and loose head, and props who can play on both sides of the scrum, can carry the ball well and are big men, are very hard to find.

"He is very raw but he will get better with us. He weighs almost 130kgs (20 stones) and that is his streamlined weight.

"He is a couple of stones heavier than Dan Cole and Castro."