London Broncos have signed 28-year-old Australian half-back Jamie Soward until the end of the 2013 season, pending his visa clearance.

Soward joins the club having been released from St George Illawarra Dragons in the NRL, and has signed for Penrith Panthers for the 2014 season.

Soward said: "I’ve heard a lot of good things about Tony [Rea] and what he’s doing there.

“I’ve always kept an eye on the Super League and I’m always looking at results.

"The cold weather doesn’t bother me too much so when the opportunity came up, the thought of getting over there and preparing and hopefully getting to play in both Super League and Challenge Cup was too good to miss.

He added: “I’m in good shape at the moment coming off a pretty tough off-season so I’m looking forward to getting there.”

Head coach Rea is looking forward to his new recruit joining the team: “We’re delighted with the club’s investment in Jamie.

"It is an important time in our season and it just shows great intent for the club as a whole.”

“We’re really thankful of the chairman for supporting the squad. From the very first moment we started to speak with Jamie, we were captivated by his enthusiasm and his desire to play really good football.

“He just wants to add to what the team are doing and compete. He’s an exciting player and one that will set London alight.”

London Broncos face a trip to Wakefield Wildcats on June 23, before a home clash at The Twickenham Stoop on June 29.