Premiership Rugby outfit Gloucester has announced that free agent Gareth Anscombe will join the club for the 2024-25 season.
Welsh World Cup star Anscombe, 32, left League One powerhouses Suntory Sungoliath in December without playing for the club.
The former Osprey and Cardiff fly-half, who has 37 caps for his country, sustained a groin injury in France which was worse than first thought which saw Suntory cancel his registration after he underwent groin surgery in London.
New Zealand-born Anscombe will link up with his new club in the summer and is poised to form an exciting all-Welsh half-back pairing with Tomos Williams who joins the Cherry and Whites from Cardiff. Anscombe said: “Delighted to announce I’ll be pulling on the Cherry and White next season.
“When I was looking at Gloucester and thinking of signing, one of the things that did excite me was around the atmosphere that you get here, it’s great the support that the club have had at The Shed (famous stand) in particular.”
Gloucester Rugby Director of Rugby, George Skivington, said: “We’re really pleased to bring a player with Gareth’s club and international experience to Kingsholm.
“He’s one of the top fly halves in the Northern Hemisphere and we feel he’ll complement our other options at fly-half and full-back well.”
The news also comes as a welcome boost for Welsh fans with Anscombe remaining eligible for his country for whom he starred in the crucial World Cup match against Australia as he came off the bench to kick 23 points and win Player of The Match.
Wales, who have lost all four of their Six Nations games and face a Wooden Spoon showdown against Italy on Saturday, will tour Australia in July after playing World Champions South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday 22 June.
A fit-again Anscombe would be tipped to be the front-runner for Wales’ coveted 10 jersey with Six Nations picks Sam Costelow and Ioan Lloyd in the running along with Cardiff-bound Callum Sheedy and young Osprey Dan Edwards.
Meanwhile, in Japan, Suntory Sungoliath have been superbly managed at fly-half by Japanese youngster Mikiya Takamoto with Anscombe’s replacement, 35-year-old Argentine veteran Nicolás Sánchez, still to start a League One game. Pictures courtesy of Gloucester Rugby and Suntory