The 28-year-old Davies, who has spent the last two season playing T14 rugby in France with Brive, has penned a contract that keeps him at the Liberty Stadium until the end of the 2010/11 season.
Born in Carmarthen, he made a total of 149 appearances for Llanelli RFC/Llanelli Scarlets, scoring 56 tries, prior to moving abroad in 2007. Renowned for his pace with ball in hand and his long range kicking ability, Davies has one Wales cap, which came against Ireland in the 2006 Six Nations.
Speaking after signing his Ospreys contract, Barry Davies said: “I’m really excited about coming back to Wales and playing for the Ospreys after two years away. I spoke to Andrew Hore and Scott Johnson after they expressed an interest and they really sold the region and their vision to me. It’s a fantastic set-up at the Ospreys, and they have real ambitions to be the best so it was an easy decision to make.
“I’ve enjoyed my time in France, I went out there with an open mind not knowing what to expect and I believe that I am coming back a better player and a better person for the experience. Brive is only a small town but it has a huge rugby tradition and I’ll always value the time I had there. But, I want to come back to the goldfish bowl of Welsh rugby and enjoy the Welsh game again.
“I’m looking forward to getting a good pre-season and showing what I can do. Lee Byrne is playing really well, he’s had a great year for the Ospreys, Wales and now the Lions, but no man can play every game so I know that I’ll get game time. It’s up to me then to perform well and put pressure on Lee. We are good mates, we played together at Llanelli and we are still in regular contact so it’s going to be an interesting challenge.”
Andrew Hore, Ospreys Elite Performance Director, added: “We are delighted to be able to confirm the signing of such an experienced Welsh full back. We lose so many players to international duty that it was important that we looked to bring in back three cover, and with his ability to play at full back or wing, Barry certainly fits the bill. When recruiting, we are always looking at the type of player who will seriously challenge the front line players and Barry will definitely be doing that.
“He has a massive boot, is fast and courageous and has the right attitude so he will be an asset to the Ospreys. He left Wales for a few years to gain some valuable experience in France where he has grown in maturity on and off the pitch and the Ospreys will benefit from this experience through his leadership ability. We will also be looking to help revitalise his international career, having already proven previously that this is the place to do it.”
Barry Davies is the Ospreys 5th signing of the summer, following on from former All Black back row Jerry Collins, Leinster second row Conor McInerney, Newport back Tom Isaacs and Sale prop Ross Davies.
