London Irish have signed Ryan Lamb as they moved to fill the void created by the loss of England No10 Shane Geraghty to Northampton.

The 22-year-old fly-half, who can also play at centre, has spent all his career at Gloucester and will hope to benefit from the experience of the Exiles' World Cup-winning backs coach, Mike Catt.

Lamb's arrival on a two-year deal will allow 37-year-old Catt to reduce his playing role next term.

The Exiles new-boy hit the headlines in March this year when he was fined £1000 by magistrates for punching a student in the face at the end of a Saturday night out.

Irish have also signed Romanian prop Paulica Ion on a two-year deal from Bath.

The 26-year-old has been capped 16 times since making his Test debut against Argentina during the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

London Irish head coach Toby Booth has been looking for front-row additions following the loss of Richard Skuse to Saracens and Tonga Lea'aetoa's decision to move to France.

He said: “The Bath pack is respected throughout the Premiership for its first-phase capability and Paulica has played a full part in that. He is an excellent scrummager and will be vital in providing a platform for us to play off next season.”

On Saturday, Irish play Leicester in the Guinness Premiership Final, a week before the Tigers face Leinster the Heineken Cup finale.