Sale Sharks have agreed a deal to re-sign former captain Will Addison almost six years after the versatile back left to join Ulster.
The 31-year-old, who can play centre, on the wing or full-back, has signed a one-year deal with an option for a further year to re-join Sharks at the end of the current season.
Cumbrian Will came through the Sharks Academy and played more than 100 games for the club in his first stint.
He was named Sharks captain ahead of the 2017/18 season but then left in June 2018 to follow his dream of playing international rugby for Ireland.
A series of serious injuries since have restricted him to just four test appearances in the famous green shirt but now fit again, he has made 16 appearances this season for Ulster including two in the Champions Cup.
Will said: “It was really tough to leave Sale but I did it for the right reasons and I have loved my time in UIster. I played international rugby for Ireland and that was a huge dream of mine.
“But I’ve remained a big Sale supporter and I’ve loved watching the club going from strength to strength in the last couple of years. Before I left, Simon Orange told me the club was going places and he was right.
“To see the crowds in the stadium grow and how much emphasis the club have put on building a connection with the north has been fantastic.
“My best friends are still at Sale – Tommy Taylor was my best man and Josh Beaumont was an usher, and I came through the academy with guys like Ross Harrison, Si McIntyre and Sam James. I’ve also got a young baby and now is the right time for us as a family to move back.
“But I wouldn’t move if I didn’t feel like we had a chance of winning something. There are so many brilliant young players here and I can’t wait to play with them and try and help them develop as much as I can.”
Sharks Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson said: “Will has a big reputation to live up to because reports on his ability and the kind of bloke he was when he was here before reached me before I watched him and spoke to him.
“Most of the staff here have already worked with him, and they tell me he’s one of the most gifted players they’ve worked with and one of the best people they’ve worked with. That’s reason enough to open the doors again and bring him back into the fold.
“On top of that, he’s now proving himself to be robust fitness-wise, and he’s playing some fantastic rugby, so him wanting to come home is brilliant. He’s close friends with guys like Tommy Taylor, Josh Beaumont and Ross Harrison so we know he’ll fit in perfectly.
“But it’s not just a fairytale. He wants to come here because of what we’re building and what he thinks he can add. It’s great for us to get him and we’re excited to see him play in any of the positions he can play.”
