The best 2016/17 PRO12 signings

Slowly but surely, the season for announcing new signings is coming to an end.

Following our look at the most exciting confirmed signings so far in the Aviva Premiership, we now take a look at the more eye-catching additions to the Guinness PRO12 for the 2016/17 season.

The competition may not quite have the pulling power of the Premiership or Top 14, but its teams have done excellently this season to attract some really talented additions, with the Irish provinces in particular bolstering well.

Read on for our top eight signings so far:

8. Leonardo Sarto, Glasgow Warriors

Sarto will replace the departing Taqele Naiyaravoro in Glasgow, after the Fijian activated a release clause in his contract. The Italian is certainly not a like-for-like replacement for Naiyaravoro, but he is clinical winger who has his best years ahead of him and who will relish playing outside a dangerous runner like Mark Bennett.

7. Kieran Treadwell, Ulster

A former England U20 lock, Treadwell is certainly the least well-known player in this list, but it’s his potential which sees him crack the top eight. At 6’ 6” and weighing in at close to 19 stone, the 20-year-old is, on paper, the perfect long-term foil to Iain Henderson in the Ulster engine room, providing plenty of ballast. He also qualifies for Ireland and has previously represented the Ireland U18 squad.

6. Kieron Fonotia, Ospreys

A versatile back who can play on the wing or in the midfield, Fonotia will add to the Ospreys back line next season. He has impressed for the Crusaders since making his debut in 2014 and although not one of the ‘elite’ names of Super Rugby, he is more than capable of making a big impact in the PRO12.

5. Marnitz Boshoff, Connacht

Boshoff was an integral part of the Lions returning to Super Rugby and helped consolidate their place in it with a stellar 2014 season in Johannesburg. He has since seemed to fall out of favour, with Elton Jantjies preferred at fly-half, but there’s no doubt that Boshoff has the ability to be a roaring success in the west of Ireland. The rain and wind of Galway will test him, but his arrival is a sign of the fantastic progress Connacht are making.

4. Jonathan Davies, Scarlets

The Scarlets secured a real coup by luring back one of their favourite sons in Davies and he will add power and incision in the wider channels next season. Rhys Patchell, another new addition, should get the back line running smoothly from fly-half, opening up plenty of opportunities for Davies to impress following his French sojourn.

3. Robbie Henshaw, Leinster

After months and months of rumours and hearsay, Henshaw’s move from Connacht was confirmed in February. The prospect of Henshaw and Garry Ringrose gelling together at provincial level is something which should have Irish fans excited, even if there are misgivings about the way the move came about and the reasons for it. Leinster fans should be ecstatic with Henshaw’s arrival, even if fans of the other provinces are more than a little miffed.

2. Charles Piutau, Ulster

This move has been a long time coming thanks to NIQ rules forcing Piutau to take a one-year deal at Wasps during the 2015/16 season, but Ulster fans can finally start to get excited about the prodigious talent that is making its way to the Kingspan Stadium. Piutau would be number one in this list for many people and they would have just cause. At full-back, the Kiwi can provide Ulster with a spectacular counter-attacker, or on the wing or at outside centre, his footwork and power can shred opposition defences.

1. Marcell Coetzee, Ulster

Coetzee completes a trio of Ulster signings in the top eight and, like Piutau, is a real coup for the province and for the PRO12. The South African is only just beginning to enter his peak and could be as good as any foreign player that Ulster have previously imported. Unlike players from New Zealand and Australia, Coetzee will still be eligible for selection with the Springboks, and whilst this may see him miss some Ulster games, it also means that he will have no need to return to South Africa in the run-up to the Rugby World Cup. Ulster and Coetzee’s relationship can be as beneficial and longstanding as both parties want it to be, and though Coetzee has indicated he would return to Durban in the future, if he enjoys his time in Belfast, he could yet be persuaded to stay on.