OSPREYS CLINCH CUTHBERT DEAL
THE Ospreys have reportedly completed a deal to bring Alex Cuthbert back to Welsh rugby. The Liberty Stadium region will confirm today that they have signed the Wales and British and Irish Lions wing, according to The Rugby Paper.
Cuthbert played for Exeter Chiefs in their 40-30 Gallagher Premiership playoff semi-final win over Sale Sharks on Saturday, with the 31-year-old scoring a try and performing impressively.
However, Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter confirmed afterwards Cuthbert was leaving the English aces and explained why.
“He is having to leave the club,” Baxter said in a postmatch interview with BT Sport.
“I sat down with Alex and said: ‘I think your time here has probably come to an end. It’s is.” Cuthbert has been with Exeter since 2018 after previously spending seven seasons with Cardiff Blues.
Capped 47 times by Wales just you’re not available for too and once by the Lions, he many games for us to be able to hasn’t played Test rugby since move forward in the salary cap 2017 but rolled back the years and the situations that are with his effort against Sale. around it’. The Ospreys have been look
“I said: ‘I am very sorry for ing for a wing to add power to that but it is just a decision I am their attack with George North having to come to based on sidelined by a knee injury. more than your playing ability’. They have Luke Morgan, Mat
“It is based on everything Protheroe and Keelan Giles, and the biggest measure of the but all of those are slight wideguy is he knows we have sat men. While Max Nagy is bigger, down and released him and he is still settling in senior ruglook at how he is performingby. for us in one of the biggest Cuthbert has experience and games of the season. when fit and firing he can be a
“The easiest thing for him to handful. do would be to tuck himself up While injuries have hamand just say: ‘I am moving on’. pered him with Exeter, he has But look at him, he is throwing started in four out of their last himself into it, he is fighting for five games and shown why the the lads on the field, he has English champions signed him shown what a quality person he in the first place.