Leeds Carnegie snap up Stephenson

Stephenson, 29, who played three times for England, joins on a two-year deal.

He previously played for Newcastle Falcons before moving to Bath in 2005. He scored 23 tries for the club.

Stephenson said: "I am looking forward to moving back up to the North of England and the move has worked out really well for me.

"I have had five good years at Bath but I was not getting as much game time as I would have liked and so I looked to move on."

Leeds' director of rugby Andy Key said: "I have known about Michael's abilities for a number of years, going back to his time at Newcastle and he has always impressed.

"He has pace and knows how to beat an opponent with his one on one skills.

"He is a Northern lad and we know from our recruitment process that crucially he also has the right character to fit into our group."

For more on this story read Thursday's Yorkshire Post.