Sportin Wales co-founder Gareth Anscombe pays tribute to his teammates, staff, and fans at Gloucester, as well as revealing his excitement for his new rugby adventure: playing in the French Top 14 for Bayonne.

Now that the news is out in the open, I’m delighted to confirm that I will be signing for Aviron Bayonnais, or Bayonne for short.

I’ve had a great time at Gloucester and the whole club was desperate to end it on a high and reach the play-offs but it was just not to be. Getting to link up with Tommy [Tomos Williams] again has been a joy – I’m so pleased for him that he’ll be going to the Lions tour this summer.

In terms of the move, I have to admit that it all happened very quickly. I knew that my deal at Gloucester was not going to be renewed, so I was on the market for a new club.

Bayonne, who’s current flyhalf is former France playmaker Camille Lopez, were not aware until very recently that Camille intended to retire at the end of the season, so were in need of an experienced number 10 to fill in.

I guess that’s where I came in!

 

They are having such a good season in the Top 14, currently sitting in fourth place, only behind giants of the game in Toulouse, Bordeaux, and Toulon.

They’ve had a great season and have some great players on their team that I’m looking forward to linking up with. Maxime Machenaud, Reece Hodge, Sireli Maqala, and Mateo Carreras is a formidable back line that I hope to be able to contribute to next season.

The guy I’m most excited to get to know and play with, though, is Manu Tuigali. Having played against Manu in a Wales jersey, I know from painful experience how hard he hits and how good he is in attack.

At the moment, though, most of my attention is focused on moving across the Channel and finding a home for me and my family. Bayonne is a wonderful place to live and play rugby. You’re so close to amazing cities like Biarritz and San Sebastian in Spain that it will be the ideal place to settle for a year (or two!).

My daughter will start school in France, which will be such an amazing experience for her. I’ll bet that she picks up the language much quicker than me!

I’ve spoken to former teammates like Biggsy [Dan Biggar] and George [North], who have absolutely loved their time in France. They’ve given me plenty of advice around the admin of moving over there.

My other ambition in joining Bayonne is that I want to test myself in the Top 14. I feel like I’ve been able to put together some really strong performances for Gloucester this season and getting the opportunity to pull on the red of Wales again was a massive honour.

In my opinion, the Top 14 is the most competitive, high-quality league in the world at the moment, and joining a club towards the top is very exciting.

The crowds in France, at least from my international and European experience, are a different level, too. I’m looking forward to playing at the Stade Jean-Dauger and bringing more glory to a historic club.

I was close to playing in France before in my career. Back in the autumn of 2023, I had an offer to be a medical joker, but it would have meant giving up my World Cup spot for Wales.

Having missed the 2019 tournament through injury, playing at a World Cup was still the pinnacle for me and our experience at that tournament was amazing.

I thought that my chance had come and gone, but to get another opportunity, I had to take it.

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