England international to leave Bath
TRANSFER NEWS: England international Dave Attwood will be returning home to Bristol Bears for the 2019/20 season, the club can confirm.
The 31-year-old lock agrees a two-year deal to make the switch from West Country neighbours, Bath.
Bristolian Attwood came through the club’s Academy system and has gone on to make 24 appearances for his country.
“Dave [Attwood] ticks the boxes for the type of player we want to fit our vision; he’s homegrown, an England international, a consistent performer in the Champions Cup and a quality person,” said head coach Pat Lam.
“We’re delighted to be able to welcome Dave back home. It’s important to us to have a core of Bristolians representing the city and he is a high-quality Premiership performer.
“To challenge for Premiership and Champions Cup trophies, it’s vital to have a strong depth of quality experienced forwards. Dave, as an excellent set-piece operator, certainly brings that as well as real physicality and presence to the Bears forward pack. It’ll be fantastic to have him on board.”
In a decorated domestic career, Attwood has represented Gloucester, Bath and Toulon, making over 100 appearances at the Recreation Ground.
He added: “It’s a hugely exciting opportunity for me to come back to Bristol, where my rugby education began.
“As somebody who grew up and studied here, my family and I have a close affinity to the city. The way Bristol Bears has established a forward-thinking culture and environment has made everybody sit up and take notice – I can’t wait to be a part of that and to contribute to the vision.”
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