Hull FC land French hooker Alrix Da Costa as third signing for 2027
Hull FC have signed French international hooker Alrix Da Costa from Catalans Dragons on a two-year deal, the club confirmed on 15 August 2026 (Hull FC).
The 28-year-old moves from Perpignan, in the south of France, to West Hull, swapping the club where he has spent his professional career for a fresh start in the Betfred Super League. He was off-contract at Catalans, making him free to negotiate (Serious About Rugby League).
Da Costa is Hull FC's third addition for the 2027 season, following full-back Bailey Hodgson and Australia international Daly Cherry-Evans — a marquee half-back signed from the NRL, Australia's top rugby league competition (BBC Sport). A hooker, for those newer to rugby league, is the player who plays in the middle of the pack and acts as the chief link between forwards and backs at the play-the-ball — the quick restart after a tackle.
Da Costa brings genuine pedigree from his time in the south of France. He was part of the Catalans squad that won the League Leaders' Shield in 2021, given to the team that finishes top of the Super League table after the regular season. He also featured in the matchday squad for the Grand Final in both 2021 and 2023, when Catalans fell short against St Helens and then Wigan respectively (BBC Sport).
Speaking to the Hull FC club website, Da Costa struck a bullish tone about what lies ahead. "I am positive we can achieve something great at Hull FC," he said (Hull FC).
For Hull, the signing rounds out a recruitment drive that has turned heads across the sport. Cherry-Evans, a State of Origin veteran and long-time Manly Sea Eagles captain, is the headline grab. Hodgson adds depth at full-back. Da Costa gives the Black and Whites a mobile, experienced number nine with big-game exposure — a position where reliability and quick thinking out of dummy-half (the position behind the tackled player from which the ball is played) can shape an entire attacking set.
The three signings together point to a club intent on climbing the table in 2027, after seasons where inconsistency has cost them. Da Costa, with nearly a decade of Super League experience and a French international cap to his name, will be expected to settle quickly into a squad reshaping itself around its new arrivals.
