New signing Kristian Ormsby arrived at Manchester Airport last night after flying in from New Zealand, to complete the Sale Sharks squad for the coming season.

Head Coach Kingsley Jones said, " Kristian is a great competitor who will be an important member of our squad. He has joined us for all the right reasons and he is glad to be here and will be meeting his new team mates later today."

Biog: Recruited in the summer on a two-year contract to join fellow New Zealander Luke McAlister at Edgeley Park, Kristian is an athletic and versatile forward.

Primarily a lock but also able to play in the back row, the 28-year-old comes to England with Super 14 experience for both the Chiefs and the Hurricanes, and has also represented his county at Sevens and New Zealand Maori at the Churchill Cup.

A talented all-round sportsman in his youth, Kristian was a county age-group swimming and shot-put champion and also an Under-16 and Under-17 cricket representative before deciding his future lay in rugby union.

And choosing the 15-man code certainly proved a wise choice as his consistently excellent performances for Counties Manukau saw him picked for the Chiefs for the first time as a 20-year-old, also earning a call-up for the New Zealand Under-21s.

He would go on to play for Wellington for two years before returning to his roots, and would remain around the international fold throughout, landing a Maori call in 2006.

Nicknamed 'Whispers', Kristian is a natural leader having captained the Steelers in the Air New Zealand Cup last season, and commands respect on the field.

Born Auckland 12 Apr 80
1.94m/ 6ft 4in
115kg/ 18st

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