Barrow Raiders rugby director Andy Gaffney believes that new signing Paul Seguier will definitely be a plus to the side going in to the final stages of the Betfred Championship season.

Prop Seguier, who is 21 years old, is a former France under-19 international and the 6ft 4 powerhouse has also featured in the Super League for Catalans in the 2017 season, where the forward made four appearances, and Gaffney thinks he will be a big boost for the Raiders' front row

Gaffney said: "I think he’ll go very well for us, I really do. He’s 6ft 4in, so he’s a bit taller than Josh.

Time will tell, of course, but it’s a big boost for us this week and for the rest of the season because we’ve got three very important games coming up then we’ve got a trip away to Toronto and a couple of home games."

Gaffney was also pleased that Barrow were able to replace Josh Johnson, who left for Salford Red Devils last week, so quickly.

He said: "We had a couple of options, not only from France, but from this country as well in getting loan players in, but Paul wanted to come to Barrow.

As soon as Josh moved on, we knew we needed some support there, so we just phoned around and we talked to Steve McNamara at Catalans because he was offering a few players from over there.

"We’ve got a good relationship with Steve and it’s come up trumps for us again."

The on-loan forward will be in contention on Sunday for the match against Swinton Lions and Gaffney also commented on what he has heard about the player himself.

"He’s played in Super League for Catalans and he’s been out on loan at Toulouse and Steve really rates him highly," Gaffney said.

"He’ll be at Catalans next year as well, as this is a loan deal until the end of the season we’ve got him on, and he seems really keen on playing for us. He’s a tall lad, very athletic, a bit of a powerhouse and hopefully he’ll do a job for us."

The Raiders need all the help they can get going into the final stages of the season and Gaffney believes that Crarey's side still control their own fate, saying: "I still firmly believe that it’s in our own hands, but we have to get those wins against the teams we’ve highlighted for the rest of the season."

Gaffney also provided us with an update on Seguier's fellow prop Ryan Duffy, who hasn't played since February due to a serious knee injury.

He said: "Ryan is available for selection now and he’s getting better and better every week in training. He’s worked really hard to get back where he is now, so he’s available to come in at any time."