London Irish recruit two new players (From Basingstoke Gazette)

London Irish recruit two new players

2:00pm Monday 18th March 2013 in Rugby By John Boyman

LONDON Irish have announced that winger Andrew Fenby and back row forward Blair Cowan will join the club next season.

Fenby, who is 27, joins the Exiles, who play their home games at the Madejski Stadium, from Scarlets, having scored 27 tries in 75 appearances for the Welsh outfit.

He said: “I am looking forward to moving to London Irish and testing myself in the Premiership. It is a great opportunity for me and I look forward to arriving at the club in the summer.”

New Zealand-born back row Cowan joins Irish from Worcester Warriers, where he has made 20 appearances, scoring seven tries.

He said: “I’m looking forward to moving down south and joining London Irish. There are a lot of great players at the club and a lot of potential to match.”

Both players have signed three-year deals with Irish and director of rugby Brian Smith is pleased with the new additions.

“Andrew Fenby is a player I have been very impressed with over the past few years,” Smith said. “He is a physical and abrasive presence who rarely fails to get over the advantage line.

“He’s the second highest try scorer in the Rabo Direct, so he knows his way to the try-line. He will add a further option to our back three for the coming seasons.

“Blair Cowan is in great form at present and he’s a player we’ve been tracking for some time. There are a lot of tough players in this league but not a lot tougher than this guy.

“Blair is a great fit for us. He can play all three back row positions and he’s a try scorer.”

London Irish return to action after three weeks without a game on Saturday (kick-off 3pm), taking on Worcester at the Madejski in their annual St Patrick’s Party game.