Trio check in to Ospreylia

There were three new faces in training at Llandarcy Academy of Sport on Thursday morning, when summer signings Chauncey O'Toole, George Stowers and Kahn Fotuali'i reported for duty on their first day as Ospreys.

The international trio arrived in the UK this week following a short break at the end of their Rugby World Cup involvement, and having settled into their new homes over the last 48 hours they were introduced to their new team-mates at the Ospreys HQ before taking part in their first day of training.

Having been kitted out by kit man Roy Evans, the three newcomers underwent a thorough medical screening before joining the rest of the group, and will now spend time working with the squad ahead of their Ospreys debuts.

The three players were all pleased to finally arrive in Ospreylia, in some cases more than six months after their move to the region was first confirmed.

Samoan back-rower Stowers said today:

“It’s great to finally be here, and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into the job. If I can make a difference to the team with my experience then I’ll be happy. It seems a positive place to be, I’m excited to be here and I can’t wait to start playing. We’ve got a big derby match against the Scarlets at the Liberty Stadium soon, I’ve heard all about the rivalry so it’ll be great to be a part of it.”

His international team-mate, scrum-half Fotuali’i added:

“I’ve only been here since Tuesday so I don’t know my way around the place yet, but I can sense a great buzz in the camp. I want to settle in quickly and look to establish myself. It’s my first experience of northern hemisphere rugby, so I’ll be learning a bit myself, but hopefully, I can bring something different to the Ospreys from my time at Crusaders and help the team be successful.”

Canadian flanker O’Toole commented:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for me to establish myself in pro rugby with one of Europe’s leading teams. I’m grateful for the Ospreys for giving me this opportunity, and I intend working hard to impress the coaches here, showing them what I’m capable of. I can’t wait to get started.”

Chief Operations Officer, Andrew Hore, said:

“We are pleased to be able to welcome Chauncey, George and Kahn to Ospreylia, and wish them the best of luck as they embark on their careers at the region.

“We’ve had a good start to the season in the RaboDirect PRO12 with a team that has been all Welsh, and we have our national team representation returning soon, but we have always maintained that it’s important to also supplement our squad with carefully selected non-Welsh qualified players who possess the right characteristics and traits to really help take the Ospreys onto the next level.

“When recruiting these three players we really looked long and hard at their character and values, to ensure they were a good fit for what we are trying to achieve here, and we are delighted to have their services. We look forward to what we hope will be long and successful careers in Ospreys colours.”