Mayhew has been brought in to help Esher's push for the play-offs

Esher have signed back row Richard Mayhew until the end of the season.

The 25-year-old has joined the Championship side from North Harbour, who play in his native New Zealand.

Mayhew attracted interest from several English sides and has a clause in his deal stating he could leave Esher if a Premiership club come in for him.

Head coach Mike Schmid said: "Richard has had some great experience with North Harbour and he is somebody who was on Wasps' radar,"

He added: "There are several of our players who have that clause in their contract and of course there is a risk we could lose him.

It's about bringing in somebody who can add some freshness and eagerness to the side and hopefully push everybody else on too Coach Mike Schmid

"Having any dual registered player is a risk but it's good to have people who are ambitious to play at a higher level and the Championship is a good breeding ground for Premiership players.

"He was recommended to me by Tony Hanks and Craig Dowd [Wasps coaches]. Both spoke very highly of him as a player and as a person and he will add some quality to the squad and some competitiveness and stir things up a bit.

"It's about bringing in somebody who can add some freshness and eagerness to the side and hopefully push everybody else on too.

"We felt it was important to add some more strength in depth to the squad with Chris York spending a lot more time with Quins recently."

Esher are currently 10th in the league, five points off the play-off zone and face third-place Cornish Pirates at home on Saturday.

Schmid continued: "We'll see how Richard is with jetlag and that sort of stuff but he could be involved in the 22 against Cornish Pirates, perhaps coming off the bench, but we'll see."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version