Rugby union: Worcester Warriors to sign Ben Te'o

Worcester Warriors have shown a sign of intent by signing powerful Leinster centre Ben Te'o ahead of next season.

New Zealand-born Te'o made his name in rugby league where he starred for NRL sides Wests Tigers, Brisbane Broncos and South Sydney Rabbitohs before converting to union in 2014.

Since making the switch to Leinster, Te'o has become an integral part of the Pro12 side's backline and has scored five tries in 23 appearances.

Te'o, who qualifies to play Test rugby for England, is excited by the prospect of joining a side he believes can develop into a top Premiership team.

"Warriors are in a very similar stage in their playing and cultural development that I found when I first joined the Rabbitohs and I look forward to making a similar contribution at Sixways," he told Worcester's official website.

"The investment in facilities and infrastructure is impressive and after speaking with [director of rugby] Dean [Richards] it is clearly a club which is on the up.

"Everything is in place for Worcester to become a successful club competing in the top tier and I'm excited about getting started at Sixways."

Worcester are 10th in the Premiership standings having won two of six fixtures this season.