Leinster announced the signing of former Munster tighthead prop Ciarán Parker from Jersey Reds for an initial three-month loan period from Jersey Reds.
Irish-qualified, Parker, 24, left Munster in May after three seasons having joined from Sale Sharks but has yet to play for his new club in the English Championship due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A member of England’s Under-20 Six Nations-winning squad in 2015, Parker made 13 appearances including one European outing off the bench against Castres in December 2018 and once he completes his Covid travel protocols he will join a Leinster squad whose tighthead stocks have been somewhat depleted.
This summer saw Roman Salanoa join Munster and Jack Aungier leave for Connacht while Vakh Abdaladze is rehabilitating a back injury following surgery. Ireland and British & Irish Lions Tadhg Furlong has also been missing due to a back problem for the first two games back from the lockdown, leaving Andrew Porter and Michael Bent to hold the fort, while Ireland U20 star and Leinster academy prop Tom Clarkson made his senior debut off the bench against Ulster last weekend.
“For a young man Ciarán already has good experience across the Premiership and the Guinness PRO14 and we feel that he will give us a good option at a time when we are going to be under pressure with players away with Ireland and just the nature of the schedule we have ahead of us,” head coach Leo Cullen told the Leinster website.
“I’d like to thank Jersey Reds for their help in making this move work and Ciarán himself and we now look forward to welcoming him to the club and to seeing how he can contribute in the coming weeks and months.”