Ospreys hold on to Ardron
Canada captain Tyler Ardron has extended his stay at Ospreys after penning a three-year deal which will keep him at the Liberty Stadium until 2017.
The 23-year old made a big impression in his first season as a professional following his move to South Wales last year and joins 16 players who have recommitted themselves to the club.
Ardron was handed the captaincy, after he was named 2013 Player of the Year for his country, ahead of the June internationals against Japan, Scotland and USA.
After signing his new contract, Ardron said he believes that the Ospreys are set to enjoy a successful time.
"I'm very excited about the future after signing the new deal.
"Work started right after the Connacht game at the end of last season to prepare for this year and there are a lot of exciting new things being brought on board that are going to make this team really special.
"The support, not only from the players and staff, but also from the community has been great since my initial arrival, so I am really exciting to be staying on.
"The amount of things I have learnt both on and off the field have helped me to develop as a person as well as a rugby player. In terms of my first year as a professional rugby player, being an Osprey has opened my eyes to the high levels of professionalism that goes into every day life when you are preparing to play 20 plus games a year, the commitment it takes and the work that needs to be done every day in order to perform week in and week out.
"As I said, we have already started with some new ideas that I am confident will make us a better team," he said.
The versatile loose forward made 22 appearances, scoring one try, in his maiden season with the Welsh club after moving from Ontario Blues.
After plying his trade on the International Rugby Board (IRB) Sevens circuit, he made his full international debut in a 28-25 win over USA in June 2012.
He has featured off the bench in all of the opening three games of the new PRO12 season, scoring his second Ospreys try in Sunday's win over Edinburgh.
Ospreys General Manager, Andrew Millward, added:
"We knew when we first signed Tyler that we had a fantastic prospect and a real athlete on our hands. He is someone who has fitted really well into our environment over the last year.
"He's got an outstanding work ethic, on and off the field, and is a natural leader despite still being so young which is something that the rest of the squad have really responded to. That's been recognised by his national coaches handing him the Canada captaincy which is a fantastic honour.
"With 17 players now secured on new deals since the start of the year you can see the hard work we have been doing behind the scenes to build a squad that has a very bright future ahead. The next two or three seasons promise to be a very exciting time for the Ospreys as this group matures and gains more experience, and it's important that the supporters are fully behind the region on this journey," Millward said.
The 17 players who have signed new contracts at the Ospreys during 2014 are:
Alun Wyn Jones, Sam Lewis, Ashley Beck, Eli Walker, Jonathan Spratt, Ben John, Ryan Bevington, Dmitri Arhip, Nicky Smith, Dan Baker, Dan Suter, Lloyd Peers, Hanno Dirksen, Sam Davies, Ross Jones, Scott Otten and Tyler Ardron.