Fussell becomes latest Osprey to sign new deal

Posted on Mar 25, 2013

The Ospreys have confirmed that Richard Fussell has become the eighth player to commit to the region in recent months.

28-year old Fussell has followed on from Tom Grabham, Tom Isaacs, Duncan Jones, Rhys Webb, Joe Bearman, Lloyd Peers and James King to re-sign for the Ospreys, putting pen to paper on a contract that will keep him at the Liberty Stadium until the end of the 2015/16 season.

“This is great news for the Ospreys”Andy Lloyd, Rugby Operations Manager, said.

“If I’m honest, I believe that Richard is someone who goes under the radar outside of our environment but he is a model of consistency for us and has been outstanding ever since he arrived at the Ospreys.

“This season in particular he’s been sensational, the way he’s coped with being the old head and the only constant in an ever changing, regularly patched up back three. He’s dealt magnificently with having to work with so many different combinations and his attitude in helping through so many youngsters has been admirable. It’s summed up perfectly what he brings to this squad.

“He’s a great professional who makes a huge contribution on and off the field, and has grown year on year. He has a massive impact on our game, he scores tries, and the likes of Eli and Hanno owe him so much for the tries he sets up for them.

“It gives us a real boost knowing that someone like Richard, who is totally committed to the cause, is going to be a part of what we are looking to build here over the next three seasons.”

Fussell signed for the Ospreys in the summer of 2010, arriving at the Liberty Stadium with a reputation as a try-scoring winger having touched down 23 times in 78 appearances for Newport Gwent Dragons. He scored a try on his Ospreys debut, a defeat to Ulster on the opening day of the 2010/11 season and finished the season as the region’s top try scorer with nine.

Since then he has successfully been converted to full back, growing ever more influential in the Ospreys shirt, and made his 77th appearance for the region in Friday night’s PRO12 clash against the Dragons at the Liberty.

Speaking after signing his new three-year deal, Fussell said:

“It’s huge for me, knowing that the Ospreys want to keep me here for the long term. It’s great to know that management see me as part of the future of the region.

“I really enjoy being part of the squad. There’s been a bit of a change for me over the last couple of seasons, I’ve played wing since I was a youngster playing age-grade rugby but moving to the Ospreys and then switching to full back has given me a new lease of life, a new direction. It’s opened my eyes a little bit and I’m grateful to have been given the opportunity here.

“The first goal over the three years of the new contract is to keep that jersey. We want to push on as a team over the rest of the season, try and get into the play-offs and retain the PRO12 trophy, while on a personal level I want to keep pushing myself and continue improving.”

Isaacs commits to Ospreys for two more years

Posted on Mar 21, 2013

The Ospreys have confirmed that Tom Isaacs has become the latest player to sign a new deal with the region.

26-year old Isaacs has committed to the Ospreys beyond the end of this season, putting pen to paper on a new two-year contract which keeps him at the Liberty Stadium until the summer of 2015.

Isaacs, a Wales age-grade cap and Sevens World Cup winner, joined the Ospreys in the summer 2009, and after injuries hampered his first year with the region he has become an increasingly influential member of the playing squad.

He made his debut for the region against the Dragons at the Liberty Stadium in October 2010, with his first start coming four months later in February 2011 against London Wasps. He made his 50th appearance for the region last month in the PRO12 fixture against Connacht in Galway, and was out of contract at the end of the season.

“I’m delighted to sign up for another two years” said Isaacs.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here so far. I know that I’ve learnt a lot over the last four years and I feel I’m still learning every day when I come to work at Llandarcy. There’s a great set-up here with some fantastic coaches. I’ve got some great friends here, it’s a place where I’m really happy to be.

“I had a difficult first year due to injuries but I had great support and I was able to put that behind me. Over the last three seasons, and the last 24 months in particular, I’ve been able to play a part in what the team is doing and it keeps getting better for me.

“I’ve had a good run this season, and that’s something I’ve really enjoyed. Like I said, I’m still learning a hell of a lot, from the coaches and my team-mates, but if I keep working hard I can hopefully cement my place in the team over the next two years.”

Andy Lloyd, Rugby Operations Manager at the Ospreys, commented:

“Tom has done really well over the last 18 months, we’ve really seen him develop on and off the field. There’s no getting away from his versatility, but he has been able to establish himself more and more as a 13 with some solid performances.

“He’s capable of producing some really exciting moments, he can beat people and he’s physical, which is a good place to start from. He’s getting better and better, and we see Tom as a big part of our future.

“It’s great news that Tom has committed himself to the Ospreys, becoming the latest player to sign a new contract for next season and beyond. Although the financial climate remains challenging, the steps that we have taken as a business to put us on a more stable, sustainable footing, means that we can look ahead to the future positively, with decisions being made for rugby reasons.”

Isaacs follows on from Duncan Jones, Rhys Webb and Joe Bearman in signing new contracts recently, while young forwards Lloyd Peers and James King did so at the end of December.

Ospreys vs Scarlets crowd passes 16,000

Posted on Dec 18, 2012

With days to go until the Scarlets come to the Liberty Stadium for the Boxing Day Welsh derby clash, supporters are being warned that they miss facing out on the big game if they don’t act soon to secure their tickets.

There are just over 4,000 tickets remaining and with the game swiftly heading towards a sell-out, fans have been urged to buy now to avoid disappointment.

Ospreys Chief Operations Officer, Andrew Hore, said:

“This is always the biggest game of the year in the fan’s eyes, the traditional Christmas derby fixture against our closest rivals, and demand for tickets is always high.

“More than 16,000 tickets have already been snapped up and the expectation is that the remaining tickets will all go ahead of Boxing Day so if anyone wants to be there for the game then they need to get their tickets now.”

The Ospreys have enjoyed an unbeaten run in the festive sell-out games against the Scarlets at the Liberty Stadium. In 2006 they romped to a 50-24 win, before a much closer affair in 2008, the hosts securing a 20-6 victory. Two years ago though it was a different story as the Ospreys ran in seven tries on their way to a record win over their local rivals, the game ending 60-17. The Ospreys have tasted defeat just once in five years against the Scarlets, with the region winning seven and drawing one in the last nine derby fixtures between the two teams.

Hore’s words were echoed by stand-in Ospreys skipper, Kahn Fotuali’i, who is looking forward to savouring his first experience of the Boxing Day atmosphere at the Liberty Stadium:

“The boys have all told me about how great the atmosphere is and that it’s a really special occasion” he said.

“I played down their place last Boxing Day and got a taste of it but I’m really looking forward to hopefully being involved in front of a sell-out crowd at the Liberty this Boxing day and enjoying what should be a fantastic atmosphere. Our fans have been great since I came here but to be part of a 20,000 crowd, with the passion that the local derby generates will be fantastic. It looks as though we’ll have a full house so anyone without a ticket needs to act quickly.

“It’ll be great to see the Liberty packed out and blacked out.”

Blues name squad to face the Ospreys

Posted on Nov 29, 2012

The Blues ended a four game losing run in the RaboDirect PRO12 with their 14-7 victory over Zebre in Italy on Sunday.

They now take on an inform Ospreys side who are unbeaten at Liberty Stadium since Glasgow Warriors were the visitors on the 14th September.

Ospreys are unbeaten in their last four fixtures with the Blues in all competitions. The Blues only triumph on Ospreys soil since the regions were formed in 2003 a 28-9 win at Liberty Stadium on 22 December 2005 and the capital city region will be looking to end this run on Friday.

Speaking ahead of the match Cardiff Blues Director of Rugby Phil Davies said,

“Since the start of the season we have got better week in week out but we have not had the rewards on the scoreboard, which is the most important thing, as obviously we want to win every game.

“We were very unlucky against Munster, but had a good win against Wasps and played well against the Scarlets, a little ill discipline cost us the game.

“We did end that game with a bonus point meaning we finished the LV campaign in joint top of the group, which is pleasing.

“It was a really good game against Zebre last weekend.

“I thought we played very, very well and if we had been a bit more clinical we could have scored three or four more tries.

“We have said since the start of the season that we are in transition and we have a lot of young players coming through.

“What we have done over the last few months, although it has been painful at times with some of the results, is create some depth and given a lot of players opportunities.

“We have given opportunities to twelve or fourteen players many of whom are under the age of 22.

“This is good for us and the sort of experience we are gaining with them will help us on Friday night.

“We have a good chance against the Ospreys; they are in the same position as we are.

“It will be the next generation of stars on show and hopefully it will be an excellent game.”

Dan Fish and Tom James were injured in the Zebre game.

Tom James is out for approximately six weeks with a broken bone in his foot while the Blues are awaiting scan results for Dan Fish.

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RaboDirect PRO12 Preview – Round 5

Posted on Sep 25, 2012

Despite their defeat by Ospreys last time out, and in the process the loss of the only remaining 100% record in this season’s RaboDirect PRO12, Scarlets still sit atop of the table. They travel to Italy to face Benetton Treviso in one of two games on Saturday. The other fixture sees Ospreys host Munster, the team they defeated in the Play-Offs on the way to becoming champions last season, at the Liberty Stadium.

The round opens with four games on Friday night, including the all-Ireland clash at the Sportsground in Galway when Connacht host European Champions, Leinster. Even though the visitors have an impressive record against fellow Irish Provinces, Connacht can take heart from the fact that they were the victors in this equivalent fixture in 2010.

There are also two games in Wales on Friday: Cardiff Blues taking on Ulster and Newport Gwent Dragons facing Edinburgh Rugby.  Blues have attracted large crowds since their return to the Arms Park, their fans must be hoping the Cardiff side maintains the form that has not seen an Ulster victory at the ground since 2005.

In nearby Newport the visitors, Edinburgh, have to go back nearly as far to trace their last victory over Dragons at Rodney Parade, to May 2006, so the odds are in favour of Welsh successes on Friday night.

The remaining fixture in the round sees new franchise Zebre make their second trip to Scotland, this time to face Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun. The visitors will be looking for a better return this time having gone down 41-10 at Edinburgh in Round 3.