London Irish have signed the Canadian back row forward Jebb Sinclair on a one-year contract for the 2011/12 season.
Sinclair joins the Exiles on the back of a superb Churchill Cup campaign where he was an outstanding performer for Canada.
Standing 6"4' and weighing over 16 and a half stone, the 25-year-old will bring a major physical presence to the London Irish pack. He started at blindside flanker in all three of Canada's tournament games performing particularly well against England Saxons in the final.
Sinclair is defensively very solid and produced one of the best defensive moments of the Churchill Cup when he chased down Russia's Vasily Artemiev - a new Northampton Saints recruit - to make a try saving tackle when the winger looked certain to score.
Commenting on his move to London Irish, who kick off their Heineken Cup campaign with a home Pool 2 game against Edinburgh on Saturday 12 November, Sinclair said: "This offers me the opportunity to test myself against the best players in the Northern Hemisphere and a chance to show these players what I'm capable of. I'm looking forward to joining up with the squad after the World Cup and pulling on the London Irish jersey for the first time."
London Irish head coach Toby Booth said: "I saw a lot of Jebb during the recent Churchill Cup and I was impressed. His work rate around the park was of a high standard and allowed others around him to shine, that is what you need from a forward. He offers another lineout option and is a strong ball carrier which will further strengthen us for this season."