Bordeaux-Begles confirm the signing of one of the biggest props the world's ever seen

Bordeaux-Begles have confirmed the signing of two formidable front-rowers for next season, the French Top 14 club said on Tuesday.

First on the list is former Chief and current Racing 92 prop, Ben Tameifuna.

The 28-year-old returned from Rugby World Cup duty last year weighing 160kg before dropping down to 145kg.

Tameifuna won two Super Rugby titles with the Chiefs in 2012 and 2013 and was called into various All Blacks training camps during his four seasons with the Waikato-based outfit but never quite cracked the official squad.

In 2015, Tameifuna departed the Chiefs with 65 caps to his name and set up shop in France. Two years later, Tameifuna made his international debut for Tonga.

Having accrued almost a century of caps for Racing 92, Tameifuna will now look to make an impact with Bordeaux-Begles.

Tameifuna will be joined at the club who led the Top 14 league table before the season was declared over last month due to the coronavirus pandemic by Cheetahs hooker Joseph Dweba.

“We decided to strengthen in terms of our power, notably among the forwards," head coach Christophe Urios told newspaper Sud-Ouest. "I was impressed by South Africa winning the World Cup. They had two great sets of front-rowers.”

Tameifuna and Dweba will be joined at Stade Chaban-Delmas by former New Zealand sevens international Ben Lam and France Under-20’s winger Nathanael Hulleu who are expected to soften the blow of losing Fiji’s Semi Radradra to Bristol.