Gloucester have confirmed the signing of Jason Woodward from Bristol now their relegation to the Championship has been confirmed.
With London Irish and Yorkshire Carnegie reaching the promotion play-off final on the weekend, it is now certain Bristol will be relegated and Woodward, who has been called up by England for their training camp this week, has been quick to sort his future out.
A 2010 Junior World Cup winner with New Zealand U20s, the full-back only arrived in Bristol last season on the back of winning the Super Rugby with the Hurricanes.
Woodward’s new team-mates face a big test on Friday night as they travel to Murrayfield to take on Stade Francais in the European Challenge Cup final.
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Gloucester Director of Rugby David Humphreys said: “Jason is a player who we have been aware of for some time now, even before he played against us this season, and we are delighted to have agreed a deal to bring him to the club.
“We speak about wanting to have a number of quality players in every position, and Jason’s arrival gives us some great selection options at a number of positions.
“Jason has been a stand out player for Bristol since his move to Europe in November, he now knows exactly what the Aviva Premiership is all about and can hit the ground running when he arrives for preseason training.
“It also helps that he knows the area well, and has many friends in our squad from his brief time at Hartpury College during the formative years of his career which will help him to settle in quickly.”