Phillips latest to pen new deal

Ospreys Rugby are delighted to announce that hooker, Ifan Phillips, has signed a new contract.

The 25-year-old has put pen to paper on a deal which keeps him at the Liberty Stadium for the next two seasons.

The homegrown talent made his senior Ospreys debut off the bench in an impressive 31-22 away win over Wasps in the Anglo-Welsh Cup at the start of February 2017.

The hooker has been involved with the Ospreys regional franchise for the past five years after impressing with his home club, Crymych, and in the Welsh Premiership for Neath RFC. His standout performances caught the eye of the National set-up where he went onto win a Grand Slam in 2016 with Wales U20s.

Since making his debut, Phillips has gone onto make 30 appearances in an Ospreys jersey. He has scored five tries for the side so far, most recently crossing the whitewash in a Player of the match winning performance against Cardiff Blues on New Year’s Day.

Speaking about his new deal, Phillips said: “It was an easy decision for me, this is a club going places and it’s exciting to see where we will end up in the next few years.

“I haven’t done things the classic way by the Academy, I started with Crymych, went on to play for Carmarthen Quins and with Neath and got picked up by the Ospreys through playing there and I am pretty proud of that. It’s been a tough journey, but I have enjoyed every moment of it.

“It’s been all about taking that opportunity when it’s given to you and running with it. Toby always says to make sure you are ready and that’s all you can do.

“We have four quality hookers here and competition throughout the squad that pushes everyone to be better everyday. Everyone is looking to progress and pushing to be the first-choice in the team and we all push each other because of that which is a big drive for us all.

“Hopefully I can play here, have a few more starts and the end goal is to play for Wales, but now I am just taking every week as it comes, play as well as I can and keep taking the opportunities I am given.”

Toby Booth, Ospreys Head coach, said: "Ifan has shown some really good performances for the region this season. His emotional connection to the Ospreys through his father comes through every time he pulls the shirt on. Those ingredients certainly add to your squad both on and off the pitch, which is exciting.”