Harlequins have signed prop Matt Shields on a deal until the end of next season.
The 24-year-old, who has already played for the club in the LV= Cup this term, joins from lower-league outfit Darlington Mowden Park RFC.
Shields is a graduate of the Newcastle Falcons academy.
"We see Matt as a player with real potential who we can really develop here," director of rugby Conor O'Shea told Quins' official website.
"We could easily have looked at bringing in a journeyman but we would prefer to look at the long-term potential that the player has and we wanted to start that development process now rather than wait until the summer."
Harlequins are back in action on Saturday when they host Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiership.
