Catalans Dragons have completed the signing of Australia Test player Greg Bird and sparked a row among their Super League rivals.

The 25-year-old, whose move to Bradford fell through when he was denied a visa by the British High Commission, was unveiled as a Catalans player at a packed press conference in Perpignan on Wednesday.

He has signed a contract until the end of the season as a direct replacement for France international Sebastien Raguin, who is out until 2010 with a knee injury, and is set to make his debut against Castleford at the Gilbert Brutus Stadium on Saturday.

The French club have had no difficulty obtaining a visa for the ex-Cronulla Sharks player and the Rugby Football League have agreed to accept the registration.

"We started the process last week and were lucky enough to get the visa through this morning," said general manager Christophe Levy.

Bird's initial move to Bradford was condemned as "a blow to the reputation of Super League" by Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington, who argued that England should not become a "dumping ground for other people's problems" and today he stood by his comments.

"The fact that it was Bradford was irrelevant," he said. "The comments would have applied to any club he signed for. I said what I wanted to say and I have nothing to add."

Castleford coach Terry Matterson, whose side will be the first in Super League to come up against Bird, said: "I don't think it's a fair playing field.

"I haven't an issue with him being here to play but it smacks of double standards.

"They've found a loophole and good on them. He's a quality player, they've added another quality import to their team.

"It might give them a boost but I'd say he will be underdone for sure. It might also put someone else's nose out of joint because he'll take their place and I'd say it would be a Frenchman. There might be some angst there."

Hull coach Richard Agar, whose bid to sign Australian Test player Michael Crocker is currently being thwarted by red tape, was even more critical, claiming the RFL decision to accept the player's registration could have major repercussions for the game.

"Now the Dragons have thrown him a lifeline, the implications are massive," Agar told the Hull Daily Mail. "The RFL have changed the landscape of Super League.

"Whilst English clubs have to be cautious about who they recruit because of tighter border controls, the French side are not hindered by this.

"The RFL's decision could pave the way for several players who want to play in Super League but would normally struggle for a visa to head to France.

"I think the decision makes a mockery of the new border agency rules. I'll be interested to see how he can come over here to play every other week when he isn't allowed in to work here full-time."

Catalans coach Kevin Walters defended his club's actions, saying: "I sympathise with the English clubs but we're not doing anything illegal.

"It's just that the English government have different regulations with regard to work permits to the French government.

"It's unfortunate for the English clubs to miss out on Greg's services but Greg deserves the opportunity to play rugby league and we're providing an opportunity for him."

With fellow Australians Dane Carlaw and Jason Ryles on the injured list, the Dragons have a vacancy on their overseas quota and Walters says Bird is likely to be on the bench against Castleford.

"He hasn't played since August but I don't think it will take him too long to get back into the groove," he said.

"We'll try and give him a game this week for sure. He's been under a lot of pressure over the last six months and I think he feels very relieved to have the opportunity to play rugby league."

Walters dismissed fears that Bird would be refused entry to the United Kingdom, saying: "We don't anticipate any problems there."

Bird, who has been training with Catalans for a week, will return to Sydney for an April 27 court case in which he faces charges of assault and lying to police.

If he is found guilty, his contract with the Perpignan club will be torn up.