Temata signs short-term Oxford deal

Championship One side Oxford have signed former London Broncos and NRL front-rower Karl Temata.

Temata, 35, joins the club on a short-term deal following the conclusion of the French Elite Championship, where he is player/coach of Limoux.

He spent eight seasons with the Broncos up, scoring 11 tries in 137 appearances, having previously played in the NRL for New Zealand Warriors.

Oxford coach Tony Benson said: “I coached him over in NZ and we have been in touch ever since. I appreciate that he has come to us when he had other offers on the table.”

Temata, who represented the Cook Islands at the 2000 World Cup, will also be joining Benson’s backroom staff as a coach.

He said: “Im really pleased to be here and I’m looking forward to playing some footie, I wanted to help Tony out just as he did with me at the start of my career.

“I want to pass some of my experience onto the younger players and help develop their game to push them onto the next level as they are a enthusiastic bunch down here who want to learn.”