Ospreys build Australian contingent for new URC season
Welsh side Ospreys have signed four Wallabies-linked players ahead of the 2026-27 season, with head coach Mark Jones admitting the recruitment drive stemmed partly from uncertainty over the club's future.
Ospreys will open their 2026-27 United Rugby Championship campaign with a distinctly Australian flavour when they travel to face Sharks in Durban on Saturday, 26 September.
The trend began in summer 2025 when lock Ryan Smith joined to replace Adam Beard, who left for Montpellier. Smith has since been joined by three more players with Wallabies experience — back-row forward Liam Wright, centre Lalakai Foketi and wing Marika Koroibete — along with fly-half Lawson Creighton.
A late recruitment push
Head coach Mark Jones told the Scrum V podcast that serious recruitment only began in May, once the Ospreys board approved the plan, far later than the ideal Christmas deadline. He explained that after signing Wright — who had appeared repeatedly in scouting footage of Smith and was already close to him — the club decided to target additional players from the same country to speed up team cohesion and settling in.
The new arrivals help fill the gap left by the departures of Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake.
Wright's potential Wales path
The 28-year-old Wright, capped six times by Australia and a former Wallabies and Queensland Reds captain, qualifies to play for Wales through a grandfather from Pembroke and could become eligible from next summer, raising talk of a possible World Cup route. However, Wright said his focus remains on regaining form and consistency at Ospreys following a run of injuries that began with a shoulder problem suffered against Wales in 2024.
Jones praised each new signing, highlighting Wright's leadership, Foketi's physicality and passing range, Creighton's kicking and defensive strength, and Koroibete's continued physical output despite his age.
