Bradley Davies extends Ospreys stay
Sammy Arnold of Munster tackled by Bradley Davies of Ospreys during the Heineken Champions Cup Pool 4 Round 6 match between Munster Rugby and Ospreys at Thomond Park in Limerick, Ireland on January 19, 2020 (Photo by Andrew SURMA / SIPA USA).
The Ospreys have announced that second-row Bradley Davies has signed a new two-year deal to extend his stay with the Swansea-based side.
The Welsh international, who has won 66 Test caps and captained his country, made his Ospreys debut in 2016.
Davies, 33, is a highly respected senior professional at the Ospreys and is the latest player to re-sign at the Liberty Stadium during this campaign.
It follows on from the appointment of Toby Booth as the new head coach and the re-signing of Ospreys captain and Wales and Lions flanker Justin Tipuric last week.
He has played 56 games and scored two tries for the Ospreys and represented Wales at all age group levels.
Davies has experience of playing in the Premiership and the PRO14 and was part of the Wales squad that reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Japan.
“I still feel I have a lot to offer as a player but I know my job here now is more than rugby and that is mentoring the younger boys, helping them develop and passing on my experiences to them,” said Davies.
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Lock Bradley Davies has signed a new two-year deal to extend his stay at the Ospreys 💪🏉#OurBloodIsBlack pic.twitter.com/hk7om5A4g2— Ospreys (@ospreys) March 3, 2020
“I was lucky to have senior pros, like Rob Sidoli, Deiniol Jones and Paul Tito, do that for me when I was a young player and I feel I have a duty to the boys coming through because I was helped so much when I started.
“While I know my role is about helping the next generation of Ospreys locks like Will Griffiths and Adam Beard, I still have a job to do on the field and that is getting the Ospreys back to where we belong.
“The Ospreys were always the leading Welsh region and most successful and we need to get back up there. We have had a blip but the Ospreys were always the side winning trophies and being up there.”
Dan Griffiths, rugby general manager, hailed Davies’ experience and technical expertise, particularly around the many facets of lineout play.
“Brad is one of the game’s great characters, as I’m sure many of our supporters will know from the referee’s mic,” said Griffiths.
“But there is far more to Brad than just his sense of humour, he is an excellent professional who really thrives on hard work and is always on top of both his physical and tactical preparation.
“Brad brings a huge amount of experience and detail to our lineout and takes a leading role in the preparation of the team to perform. It’s this attention to detail, alongside his physicality and competitiveness, that have kept him at the top of the game for such a long period of time.
“He is keen to share that knowledge and experience with the young players, and that is a great asset to have within your squad and something we will look to support moving forward.
“Brad is an important part of the squad, a leader by example on the field and someone you know will always put his body on the line for his team-mates and the jersey.”