Hull hand contract to Fijian winger from the British Army

Hull have signed winger Ratu Naulago after a successful trial period.

Naulago had been given temporary release from service in the British Army to trial with the club, and also recently helped Saracens win the Premiership Rugby 7s title.

He said: “It’s a massive achievement for me to sign for a professional club and I’m really happy to be here at Hull FC.

 “I have been here for a few months now and everybody has been so welcoming to me. I think that has helped me settle down and play some good rugby.

 “I’m really looking forward to the next few months ahead and seeing if I can have a shot at playing for the first team.”

Fijian-born, Naulago scored a hat-trick against Wakefield reserves last weekend and has also been on the books at Harlequins and Bath rugby union.

He has now received permission to be relieved from active service with the army to be handed a contract by the club.

Coach Lee Radford said: “Ratu has shown significant improvement in a short space of time with us and he has earned the respect of everyone in the team and our staff by going as hard as he can in pre-season to earn this opportunity.

 “He is still pretty new to the game but he has adapted well. We watched a lot of him in rugby union and 7s so we know what he is about and we’re looking forward to him making great strides.

“He’s got a great skill set for a winger and his military and rugby 7s background means he is very fit. I’m looking forward to watching him grow at our club.”