Leeds Carnegie have signed 31-year-old second row Sean Hohneck from Italian club Viadana on a two year contract.
The New Zealand-born forward is seen as a direct replacement for Erik Lund, who has moved to French side Biarittz this summer.
The 6'8" lock has previously played for Bristol in the Guinness Premiership and has represented the New Zealand Maoris having played domestically for Waikato Chiefs in New Zealand.
Hohneck was part of Bristol squad who qualified for the Heineken Cup in 2007 when they finished in third place in the Guinness Premiership before leaving the club the following year.
Commenting on the new signing Head Coach Neil Back said, "Erik Lund did a fantastic job for us over the past two years and we developed him as a player during his time at the club.
"Our challenge was to find someone with the same physical presence as Erik plus the ability to compete in the line out, in Sean we believe we have found that ideal candidate.
"He has the same frame as Erik and is a fantastic option in the line out. He could have remained in Italy to play in the Magners League but he was keen to return to the Guinness Premiership. He has a young family and wants a new challenge to test himself. He has bought into what we want to achieve as a club.
"We have done a lot of homework to make sure we are signing someone who can not only add to our playing strength but also to our character as a club.
"We know that Sean is coming to Headingley Carnegie for the right reasons and we are looking forward to welcoming him for the start of pre-season," added Back.
Hohneck is Leeds Carnegie's second signing of the summer, following on from Michael Stephenson from Bath.
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