RHYS WEBB WILL return to Ospreys on a two-year deal next season.
It was confirmed yesterday that Webb has been allowed to leave Toulon at the end of the current campaign due to the family reasons, despite having another year on his contract with the French outfit.
Ospreys announced this morning that the scrum-half — who French media outlet Midi Olympique had also linked to the Dragons — will return to the club he departed for the Top 14 in 2018.
The news is a major boost to Ospreys, who currently sit at the bottom of Guinness Pro14 Conference A and Heineken Champions Cup Pool 4.
“All of us at the Ospreys are delighted that Rhys has decided to come home,” said Ospreys managing director Andrew Millward. “He is a world class scrum-half and has proved that with the Ospreys, Wales, Toulon and the Lions, and to be able to bring him back home is something all of us should be proud of.
“The Ospreys are in his DNA. During our discussions with him, it became clear how important the Ospreys were to him and how much he wanted to wear the jersey again. His signing is a statement of our intent and ambition to build a squad capable of taking on the best in the Pro14 and in Europe.
“Rhys joins a squad full of experience and brimming with some of the most exciting young talent in Wales, and I know how excited he is to play his role in the next chapter of the Ospreys story.”
Webb, who has won 31 caps for Wales, will once again become eligible to represent his country when he returns home. The 31-year-old scored 39 tries in 154 appearances during his previous Ospreys spell. He was also a member of the British & Irish Lions squad in 2017, coming on as a replacement for Conor Murray in two of the three Tests against New Zealand.
“It’s just great to come back to where rugby all started for me,” he said. “I am really looking forward to the challenge and fighting for the Ospreys jersey again.
“I have loved my time in Toulon but it’s a relief to come home to the Ospreys. It’s where my family are, where I was brought up, and where rugby all started for me. To return to play for my home region again is just really special for me and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to do that again.
“I have been away for two years, and I know there have been a lot of changes and that there are a lot of exciting young players coming through and some familiar faces too. I am looking forward to the challenge. Hopefully I can pass on my experience to the younger players and I am determined to do as much as I can to help the team.
“As I said at the time, nobody turns down Toulon and I wanted to experience something different. I am thankful that they have released me a year early from my contract and I am as excited about returning to the Ospreys as I was at going to France.
“Everybody knows how important my family is to me and being able to return home, especially to the Ospreys, is massive for me. I just can’t wait to pull the jersey on again and to run out in front of my fellow Ospreylians.”
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