Ireland back-row James Coughlan has signed for two seasons with French Pro D2 side Pau from Irish club Munster, the Pyreenan outfit confirmed on Friday.
Coughlan, 33, joins his former Munster coach Simon Mannix in south western France after the New Zealander was appointed to the second-tier side in early April.
Coughlan was been called up to the senior Irish national squad for the 2012 Six Nations but has never earned a cap, but during his eight years in Munster he played 139 times.
He becomes Pau’s eighth recruit after France international centre Damien Traille (Biarritz), second rower Abdellatif Boutaty (Bayonne), scrum-half Samuel Marques (Albi), back Martin Prat (Auch), flyhalf Brandon Fajardo (Auch), hooker Vincent Campo (Grenoble) and prop Giorgi Natsarashvili (Aurillac).
