Vicki Oyesola, powerhouse England international, joins Leeds Rhinos

Fresh from the news that they have landed England’s record appearance maker Jade Clarke, the Rhinos have gone to the other end of the experience spectrum with the signing of 22-year-old Vicki Oyesola.

The defender, who last week was named in Jess Thirlby’s England Vitality Roses squad for the three-Test tour to New Zealand this month, joins the Rhinos on a one-year deal from Loughborough Lightning.

Oyesola said: “This is an exciting opportunity to be building with a brand new team, with great staff and players. Joining a club at the start gives us the ability to grow together and we have the opportunity to build our own culture.

“When I spoke to (performance director and head coach) Dan Ryan, he spoke about creating a team that is strong and diverse, bringing in players from different areas with different experiences and building and developing the players individually as well as the team as a whole, which is something I really bought into.

“I am looking forward to building strong partnerships within the team and my ambition is that we become a competitive side who push for a top-four position.”

Ryan said: “Vicki is an absolute powerhouse of an athlete and one of the most exciting young defensive talents in the country.”

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James Mitchinson