Northampton Saints has today announced the signings of two new players into the club’s squad for the 2017/18 season.

The pair, Jamal Ford-Robinson and Mitch Eadie, both join from Bristol, where they have impressed during the west country outfit’s recent resurgence in the Aviva Premiership.

Ford-Robinson is a 23-year-old who has stood out with both his ball carrying ability and set piece prowess across the front row. A graduate of the Leicester Academy, Ford-Robinson spent 18 months at the Cornish Pirates before joining Bristol in February 2015. To date he has made 35 appearances and played in the Aviva Premiership, European Rugby Challenge Cup and Anglo-Welsh Cup during the current campaign.

Eadie was one of Bristol’s try scorers when they ran Saints close at Franklin’s Gardens at the start of 2017, one of the three times he has gone over the whitewash in the Aviva Premiership this season. In all the 24-year-old has made 125 appearances for Bristol since making his debut in 2010/11, winning Scotland honours at Under-20 level and earning two Players’ Player of the Season awards from his peers within the club.

Director of rugby Jim Mallinder says that both players have the right attributes to succeed in the East Midlands.

“Both Jamal and Mitch put in impressive performances when we played Bristol at the start of January but we have been watching them for some time,” he said. “We’ve liked what we’ve seen and believe that they have the ambition and quality to have a big impact here at the Saints. We’re looking forward to seeing them improve further as part of our squad here at Franklin’s Gardens.”