Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club sign former Loughborough University captain and Leicester Tigers talent Henri Lavin, Elliot McPhun from Hertford and Sonny Hirini

Bury St Edmunds’ director of rugby Jacob Ford believes he has added one of the league’s ‘standout players’ to his squad as the Wolfpack welcomes three new signings that include a former Gallagher English Premiership talent.

Elliott McPhun, who has previously plied his trade for fellow National League 2 East outfit Old Albanians, has joined the Greene King IPA Haberden side from Hertford.

Ford, who described the arrival of McPhun as a ‘massive’ signing, believes that the skillful scrum-half will bring leadership as well as a wealth of knowledge of the division to his side.

“I’ve been coaching in this league now for four seasons and he’s been one of the standout players,” said Ford.

“He’s a pain to play against. He’s one of the players you’d always preview and try and stop. Even with all of our efforts, we never managed to do that in previous years.

“It’s great to get him over the line, get him involved. I think with the way he plays, the speed of ball, how he sees the game, it’s very aligned with what we do.”

Bury have also welcomed the addition of Henri Lavin, who joins the club following his time at Loughborough University, where he was first-team captain and guided his side to the BUCS Super Rugby title last term.

Prior to his three years at Loughborough, Lavin was on the books of Premiership side Leicester Tigers, where he made his first-team debut aged 17.

“He’s bringing a wealth of experience and leadership at a young age,” said Ford.

“He’s also played in the English championship with Yorkshire Carnegie. We’re looking forward to getting him out there and playing.”

Meanwhile, dynamic and powerful centre Sonny Hirini has joined Bury from National 1 side Plymouth Albion. The former UMS and Waikato Sevens player’s versatility will come in handy for Ford next term, as he can also play on the wing or in the back row.

“He brings professionalism for the standard of how we train and how we prepare,” said Ford.

“He’s a fantastic player. You want to get the ball in his hands as much as possible because he can beat defenders in multiple different ways.

“I think his knowledge and understanding of the game is second to none and whichever position he plays in he can bring that way of playing, and what we should be doing on the field, which is really important.”