Hull KR sign Australian forward Eddie Hampson for 2027
Hull Kingston Rovers have signed Australian forward Eddie Hampson on a two-year contract.
The 23-year-old second-row will arrive from the Townsville Blackhawks ahead of the 2027 Super League season, BBC Sport reported. Hull KR compete in Super League, the top professional league for clubs in Britain and France.
In rugby league, second-rows are the rangy forwards who work on either side of the middle. They tackle, they carry, they soak up the hard minutes. Hampson adds points to that graft.
He scored 21 tries in 69 appearances for the Blackhawks. That is roughly one every three games. For a forward, that is sharp.
Townsville play in the Queensland Cup. Think of it as Australia's busy shop window below the NRL, the elite full-time competition. Plenty of British clubs look there for young forwards hardened by week-in, week-out senior rugby.
Hampson will not link up with Rovers until the build-up to 2027. His deal ties him to the East Hull club for two seasons. It is early business. A two-year deal gives a young overseas player time to settle in a new country and gives the club steady cover in a key spot. Done months before a ball is kicked.
He is the second signing under new head coach Nathan Cayless. The first was Moala Graham-Taufa, a New Zealand outside-back. That is a catch-all term for the wide runners, the wingers and centres whose main job is to finish chances.
What makes this stand out is the blend of age and output. At 23, Hampson is still developing. Yet he already knows the route to the tryline from the pack. Coaches value that mix. It offers work rate now and room to grow.
For newcomers, tries from forwards often come at close range. A second-row hits a short, hard line near the posts and powers through contact. Hampson's record suggests he times those runs well. He also has the engine to keep defending when legs tire late on.
Rovers fans must wait to see him in red and white. The 2027 campaign is still months away. But the shape of Cayless's first squad is forming. A Kiwi back first. Now an Australian forward.
