INJURY-HIT London Irish have bolstered their squad with the signings of three players until the end of the season.

Second row Elliott Stooke has joined from Gloucester where he has made 70 appearances for the Cherry and Whites. The 6ft 6in, 125 kgs forward has represented England at age grade level and, in January 2014, made his England Saxons debut against the Irish Wolfhounds at Kingsholm.

Tom Halse is a versatile, goal kicking back who is able to play at fly half, inside centre and full back. The New Zealander played for the Chiefs Development 15 and Counties Manuakau before playing in Italy.

Tom Preece is a back row forward who joins from Coventry RFC. The 26-year-old has previously played for Aberdeen Grammar in the Scottish Premiership and Saint-Sevin Sportif in the French second division. In New Zealand, Tom played for North Harbour Marist and represented Auckland B.

Head of Rugby Operations, Glenn Delaney, said: “We are currently battling with an extensive injury list and quite a number of those are long term. The three players will be solid additions to our squad as we continue in this block of Aviva Premiership fixtures.”