Exiles stick with Mills as skipper

Back rower Jonathan Mills has been handed the task of leading London Welsh in their debut Aviva Premiership season.

The 28-year-old stays on as skipper despite a host of new signings since the Exiles' promotion from the Championship was confirmed on appeal. Mills has been with London Welsh since 2007 and captain for the last two years and now he cannot wait for the Oxford-based club to play in the top flight. He said: "The standard of players we're signing and who want to come to the club shows how far London Welsh has progressed, and hopefully it will keep getting stronger and moving forwards. "You can't really believe where we've got to. When I first joined the club it was fighting relegation. To now be in the Premiership is very special." Meanwhile, the Exiles have snapped up Paulica Ion, Kirill Kulemin and Tyson Keates as their latest reinforcements. Prop Ion has signed on a season-long loan from London Irish, lock Kulemin makes the move to England from Castres, while Scrum-half Keates is a free agent after Aironi went belly up. Elsewhere, former Sale chief Kingsley Jones will help out until the end of October after signing a short-term deal.