As Adam Jones prepares for his first appearance back at the Liberty Stadium since signing a new two-year contract with region, his Ospreys team-mates paid their own tribute to the prop ahead of training today.
The ‘hair-bear’ was welcomed onto the paddock by a group of his colleagues who had donned special curly wigs in his honour.
Ospreys ‘original’ Adam penned his new deal at the start of last month, committing to his home region until the summer of 2014, but this Saturday’s RaboDirect PRO12 game against Benetton Treviso (KO 6.30pm) will be the first time he’s pulled on an Ospreys shirt at the Liberty Stadium since, having been away on Six Nations duty with Wales, collecting his third Grand Slam.
Having been greeted by the sight of his colleagues kitted out, Adam then posed for photos with his team-mates, after which he said he’s looking forward to returning to the Liberty Stadium:
“No matter where you go it’s always good to go home and the Liberty Stadium is home for me. Having re-signed at the start of February I’ve had the small matter of the Six Nations to deal with which means Saturday will be the first time I’ve had the chance to play at the Liberty since then and I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be great to play in front of our fans again and hopefully, we’ll have a great crowd there to help our cause as we go for the play-offs.”
Ospreys Chief Operations Officer, Andrew Hore, added:
“Retaining Adam’s services for the next two years in the face of strong interest outside of Wales is something that should be celebrating. As one of the leading tight heads in world rugby, born and bred in Ospreylia, he is proud to represent his home region, just as we are delighted to have him here for the next two seasons at least. Given that this weekend will be his first game at the Liberty Stadium since signing his new contract, we hope that the fans will really show him how much they love him.”
Fans attending the game on Saturday can snap up their own ‘Adam’ wig from the Ospreys Club Shop ahead of the game for just £4.99 and show their support for a true Ospreylian legend.
There are a number of ticketing initiatives in place for the last two home games of the season, Saturday’s fixture against Treviso and the Welsh derby against Newport Gwent Dragons on Friday 20th April. Season-ticket holders can bring a friend to both games completely free of charge, while up to four kids go free with a paying adult. Make sure you take advantage of these great deals and back your region in the push for the play-offs.
For full details of both offers please click here