Bradley Davies has signed for the Ospreys for next season on a three-year dual contract with the Welsh Rugby Union.
The Wales second row – who was also wanted by the Cardiff Blues – will end the current Aviva Premiership play-off campaign with current club Wasps and then return to Wales.
The deal is a significant boost the Ospreys who were unable to offer Davies the lure of the European Champions Cup next season, after failing to make the Guinness Pro12 top six. But it appears they were prepared to pay a release fee for the final year of Davies’s contract, which the Blues were not.
The prospect of a joint contract with the WRU, which will run through to the 2019 World Cup in Japan, has convinced the 29-year-old to move to the Liberty Stadium where he will link up with Wales teammate Alun Wyn Jones.
Davies said: “I’m really pleased to have signed a national dual contract and to be linking up with the Ospreys. I would like to thank Wasps for the last couple of years, I have really enjoyed my time at the club and I’m looking to finish on a high over the next couple of weekends.
“For me though the opportunity to return to Wales on and NDC was too good to turn down, the contracts focus on getting the best out of the players and provides support on and off the field and that is really important.
“I’m excited to be joining the Ospreys, it will be a fresh start for me, the region has big ambitions and I want to play a part in that. It will be great to team up with the likes of Alun Wyn and the wealth of young Welsh second rows at the region. I’m not returning to Wales to retire, I want to push on and the NDC and the Ospreys allow me to do that.”
Davies, who has 54 Wales caps to his name and is part of this summer’s squad to tour New Zealand, made his international debut in 2009 and spent nine years at Cardiff Blues.
In 2014, he made the switch to Wasps and is likely to feature for the English side on the Premiership play-off’s next weekend, before linking up with the national squad.
WRU Group chief executive Martyn Phillips said: “This is an exciting and important announcement for Welsh rugby that is going to benefit the future of our game at both national and regional level.
“It is vital we retain our best talent in Wales but equally the ability to attract players back here is important for the game both on and off the field.
“Together with the regions we are creating an environment that is attracting players back and it is great to see Bradley returning and join players such as Jonathan Davies and Dan Lydiate who have returned to the Welsh game.”
Wales head coach Warren Gatland, said: “It is great to see Bradley returning to Wales to play his club rugby and to have signed an NDC. It is important we create an environment that is attractive to our players and I believe with the number of players retained and returning we are getting on the right track.”
Andrew Millward, Ospreys managing director, said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome Bradley to the Ospreys for next season. A proven player at the top level, he will add to our pool of Welsh qualified second rows, competing with the likes of Alun Wyn Jones and Lloyd Ashley, and using his vast experience to help youngsters such as Adam Beard, Matthew Dodd and Rory Thornton to achieve their undoubted potential.
“It is essential that we are able to start building this kind of strength in depth in the squad if we are going to be successful over the coming seasons. To that regard, we are extremely grateful to the WRU for their support in enabling us to make such a significant addition to our squad.”
