Jersey add six backs including Olowofela and a Russian club centre

Jersey Reds have further ramped up preparations for the new 2021/22 Championship by announcing the signing of a half-dozen backs, adding to the confirmation earlier this week that they had snapped up ex-Sale prop James Flynn and back row pair Alex Humfrey and Wesley White, a son of the 2007 Springboks World Cup-winning coach Jake.

Scrum-halves James Mitchell, Harry Simmons and Will Lane have now been added to the Jersey squad by the Championship club's director of rugby Harvey Biljon, along with centre Jordan Holgate and wingers Ryan Olowofela and Will Brown.

Mitchell, a brother of current England call-up Alex, joins from Doncaster following previous stints at Northampton and Connacht, and ex-England age-grade player Simmons has arrived on a season-long loan from Leicester Tigers.

Lane, the third scrum-half who had been with Worcester academy and Loughborough, now becomes an official part of the squad after spending some time last season with the Reds.

An intriguing recruit is Holgate. Having been with the Bulls academy and Boland in his native South Africa, he spent a year at Western Force before playing in recent times for Slava Moscow, the club whose home ground was the venue for Jersey's eye-catching win over Russia prior to the 2019 World Cup.  

Ex-England 7s winger Olowofela joins after two years at Northampton where he played alongside twin brother Jordan. He was among a quartet of players released by the Saints on May 26. Former Scotland U19s cap Brown comes in from Ampthill after a previous stint at Loughborough.

The Channel Islands club, who last month hosted the British and Irish Lions for a training camp at their Stade Santander International ground, finished mid-table in last year's Championship with five wins from ten matches and will open preparations for the new season with visits from Leicester and Sale for friendlies on August 27 and September 3.