New Ospreys deal for Thomas

Wales back-rower Jonathan Thomas has agreed a new contract with the Ospreys that will keep him at the Liberty Stadium until 2014.

Thomas is second in the all-time appearance list for the Ospreys, playing his 136th match in Saturday’s 22-16 Heineken Cup defeat by Munster.

The 27-year-old, who can play flanker, number eight or second row, is determined to help the region realise their potential on the European stage.

“I’ve been an Osprey since we started in 2003. I’ve gone through the inevitable highs and lows of the evolution of the place,” he said.

“I suppose it’s ingrained in me now as a person. I’m committed to carrying that on over the next few years and helping the Ospreys be as successful as possible.

“We’ve had some good results and some success, but we’ve also had disappointments in Europe so there’s so much we still want to achieve.

“I believe that the environment being created here is one that can bring us continued success.

“When the Ospreys started in 2003 we weren’t given much of a chance, people expected us to fail but we’ve defied those expectations.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved together as a group since then - we’ve won silverware and created a rugby organisation that people can be proud of.

“But there’s a long way to go yet. We’ve still not really achieved everything we want to.”

Thomas’ Wales team-mate Ryan Jones signed a new deal with the Ospreys last month, also until 2014.