Spratt a big fish in Taranaki

Most of the European off-season news has concerned the steady torrent of players flowing from south to north, but one or two have made the journey the other way – such as Ospreys centre Jonathan Spratt.

Most of the European off-season news has concerned the steady torrent of players flowing from south to north, but one or two have made the journey the other way – such as Ospreys centre Jonathan Spratt.

Spratt, who is a few notches down the pecking order at the Ospreys behind such luminaries as Gavin Henson and Sonny Parker among others, but has age on his side at 22, has spent the European summer picking up Air New Zealand Cup experience with Taranaki.

He played in the 20-13 win over North Harbour, Taranaki's opening match of the season, and came off the bench in the 22-6 defeat to Auckland on Sunday.

The former Wales U19 captain's stint in the province will last five months, meaning he will return to the Ospreys in October, although he will presumably take some time off before jumping into Magners League or Heineken Cup action.

“It's brilliant to get out of Wales and experience somewhere else. The culture here is the same as Wales – both rugby mad,” he said to the Western Mail.

“I'm loving the lifestyle in Taranaki. Everyone is very welcoming and very open. The rugby is good as well. The game is fast and physical and there's a lot of class players.”