Top 14 Orange
Byrne seals Clermont switch
ESPNscrum Staff
February 1, 2011
Lee Byrne will leave the Ospreys at the end of the season
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Wales fullback Lee Byrne has signed a three-year deal with Top 14 heavyweights Clermont Auvergne. The widely-anticipated move sees the 30-year-old follow playmaker James Hook through the exit door at the Ospreys, with Hook set for a spell at Perpignan following the Rugby World Cup. The region confirmed they had "reluctantly agreed" to Byrne's request that he be released early from his existing contract, which runs until 2012. "Our determination to keep Lee at the Ospreys meant that we fought hard to keep him here, turning down a similar request 12 months ago," Ospreys managing director Mike Cuddy said. "But unfortunately, the circumstances are such that we now find ourselves in this position where we have reluctantly agreed to release Lee, given his desire to take on a fresh challenge following the Rugby World Cup later this year. "We would not have seen much of Lee next season, when he will be 31, and for him to have the security of a three-year contract and the change of lifestyle that this move will allow him is a fantastic personal opportunity, and we wish him the best of luck." Byrne joined the Ospreys from the Scarlets in 2006 and rose to be Wales' first-choice fullback and a British & Irish Lion during their tour to South Africa in 2009. "I will be sad to leave my home region, but this was too good an opportunity for me to turn down at this stage of my career," he said. "I am extremely thankful to the directors of the Ospreys for the way that they have handled this, allowing me to look ahead to what will be a fantastic experience for me. "In the longer term, the Ospreys are my region, and I would like to think that I will be able to return here before my career is over." © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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