The latest rugby news from Wales and around the world
These are your evening rugby headlines on Tuesday, December 23.
Wales prospect signs deal in England
Highly-rated former Wales U20 lock Jonny Green has signed his first senior contract with Harlequins to commit his immediate future to the English side.
The 21-year-old, who has also represented Wales at U18 and U19 level, has been part of the Gallagher PREM side’s academy since 2022 and has made six first-team appearances in English rugby’s top flight.
Green – who trained with the Wales senior team during the 2024 Six Nations – follows fellow academy graduates Ben Waghorn and Zach Carr in signing a new deal with the club this season and now has his sights on establishing himself within the first team.
“I’m really happy to be extending my future with the club,” he told the Quins website. “Now I’m wanting to establish myself as a player that can be competitive within the squad.
“Harlequins were the club I grew up watching. When I was in school, it was a huge goal of mine to play to play for Quins and to sign my first senior contract is a very proud moment.”
Green’s decision comes after he weighed up whether to sign for a Welsh club last year, with a couple of sides understood to have shown interest in the powerful second row.
However, while he would have stood a better chance of getting more game-time at senior level, the 6ft 7in forward – who hails from Haywards Heath in West Sussex – chose to stay with Quins.
“Yeah, it’s definitely something I’ve been looking into if that would be a good opportunity for me but also Harlequins is also a very good place to be at the moment as well,” said Green when asked whether he’d consider a move to Wales last year.
“Next year I’m looking at what I’ll be doing next but I’m enjoying playing for Harlequins at the moment. Training with Quins (Harlequins) week in week out has been really good for my development personally.”
While his immediate future lies in England, however, Green has made no secret of his desire to wear the Welsh jersey on the international stage, with the youngster qualifying through his mother’s side of the family, who hail from west Wales.
“Wales is the country I want,” he said. “There’s no doubt at all about who I want to play in the future at senior level. It will definitely be in Welsh colours. That’s what I want to do. My mum grew up in Gowerton. That side of the family are all massive Scarlets fans based in Llanelli.”
Ospreys star spotted at English club
Ospreys wing Tom Florence has reportedly been seen looking around the facilities at Champ Rugby side Ealing Trailfinders, with the 22-year-old’s contract with the Welsh region up at the end of the season.
The former Wales U20 international, who came through the ranks at Bridgend Athletic and can play on either wing and in the centre, has been linked with a switch to Gloucester, which would see him follow team-mates Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake over the border to Kingsholm.
But RugbyPass reports that Florence has been spotted having a look around the facilities at Trailfinders Sports Ground, sparking speculation about a potential move to the west London club.
Ealing are currently unbeaten in the second tier of English rugby and are nine points clear of second place Bedford Blues, having won all 11 of their games so far this season.
Florence signed fresh terms with the Ospreys in May last year, but has featured just four times so far this season, with his only start coming against Glasgow in the URC in October.
Kolisi comes home
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi will rejoin the Stormers next summer, it has been announced.
The two-time World Cup-winning skipper began his career with the Cape Town-based side in 2012 before moving to the Sharks in Durban in 2020.
After a failed spell in France with Racing 92, he returned to the Sharks last year but is now heading back to where it all began, with the Stormers confirming the move on Tuesday.
“Cape Town and Stormers Rugby will welcome back two-time World Cup-winning Springbok captain Siya Kolisi at the conclusion of the season,” the URC side said in a statement.
“Kolisi will make his return in July 2026 and fulfill an important role mentoring the next generation as the club continues to build the squad’s depth and maturity as part of Project 2029. The move will allow Kolisi to be closer to his family and also make a meaningful contribution to the team where it all started for him after leaving school.”
After the move was confirmed, the 34-year-old Springbok captain said: “I have such incredible memories of my time at the DHL Stormers, the way I was embraced by the fans in my formative years has never left me.
“My family is in Cape Town and it is important to me to be close to them. This move gives me the chance to do that while also giving back to the team and fans who made such a big contribution to the player and person I am today.
“I am looking forward to contributing in any way I can to the future success and happiness of this special club and its incredible supporters.”
Stormers’ director of rugby John Dobson added: “We have got an outstanding crop of loose forwards in our squad and a number of very strong young leaders, with the last three Junior Springbok captains all on our books.
“Siya will be able to help develop these players and mentor them in a way that nobody else could, given what he has achieved and what he represents to all South Africans and especially our fans.
“We are very aware of the load that he has carried professionally and personally over the last few years,” Dobson added. “But what is so encouraging is the way that he has bought into helping us reach the goals we have set for ourselves in developing our squad as we build towards Project 2029.”
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