London Welsh have signed Argentina international forward Julio Farias Cabello to boost their fight against relegation from the Aviva Premiership.

Cabello, 34, joins from Argentine club Tucuman and can play in the second or back row.

He has been capped 19 times and was an ever present for Argentina in their inaugural Rugby Championship campaign, including the Pumas’ 16-16 draw with South Africa in Mendoza.

Welsh head coach Lyn Jones said: “Julio is a quality player with a high work-rate and will add a great deal of ability to our squad for the final push in the Aviva Premiership.

“We’ve got eight games to go and we need as much depth to our squad as possible to be as competitive as we can in mid-February as we need to be in May.”

Cabello made his debut for Argentina in 2010 against France in Montpellier and has also gained representative honours with Argentina Jaguares and their development side.

He played in the 2011 World Cup and scored the Pumas’ only try in their 33-10 quarter-final defeat to eventual champions New Zealand in Auckland.