Jersey Reds are hoping to defend their Championship titles with seven new additions to the team.

Following their success in the 22/23 season, the Reds are preparing to defend the top stop with their new signings, who will be in the island before pre-season training in late June.

The new Reds players include:

• Dafydd Hughes, 27, is a hooker taking the well-trodden route from south Wales to the Island after seven years with Scarlets. He helped Wales under-20s to 6 Nations success in 2016 and went on to make around 40 appearances for the Scarlets.

• John Hawkins, 26, is making the move to Jersey as a lock, after seven years and 45 senior appearances with Bristol Bears. Hawkins also represented England at under-18 level.

• Joe Peard, 21, is moving to the Reds from Cardiff. The lock has won five under-20 caps for Wales.

• Ciaran Booth, 23, plays on the back row and was part of Sale Sharks Academy in 2017. As an Irish-qualified player, he won under-20 caps in 2019 and joined Connacht in 2020, graduating to the senior squad in 2022 and making five 1st XV appearances.

• Thom Smith, 23, can also be found on the back row and is travelling to Jersey from Doncaster Knights. Head coach, Harvey Biljon says “The fact that Thom captained both Leicester Tigers and Doncaster shows how highly rated he is."

• Peter Sullivan, 25, is the second former Connacht player joining the squad and is part of the back three. He made his Connacht debut in 2020 and made a total of 21 senior appearances for the province in two seasons, scoring seven tries.

• Robin Wedlake, 28, is joining Sullivan in the back three from Cornish Pirates. Wedlake has developed a reputation as one of the Championship’s best wingers during his five seasons with the Pirates.

The new signings leave the Reds with a 35-man squad as preparations for pre-season continue:

• Hooker: Eoghan Clarke, Harry Doolan, James Hadfield, Dafydd Hughes.
• Prop: Sam Grahamslaw, Stevie Longwell, Greg McGrath, Adam Nicol, Huw Owen, Monty Weatherby.
• Lock: John Hawkins, Sean O’Connor, Joe Peard, James Scott.
• Back row: Max Argyle, Ciaran Booth, Hal Chapman, Tim Grey, Alun Lawrence, Thom Smith, Lewis Wynne.
• Scrum-half: James Elliott, James Mitchell, Toby Venner.
• Fly-half: Russell Bennett, Ben Burnell.
• Centre: Dan Barnes, Jordan Holgate, Alex McHenry, Charlie Powell (on loan from Bristol Bears).
• Back three: Brendan Owen, Peter Sullivan, Scott Van Breda, Robin Wedlake, Ben Woollett.