The latest product of the region’s player development pathway, the young fly-half has been rewarded for the form he has shown within the regional age-grade set-up and, this season, for Swansea in the Principality Premiership, scoring 77 points in eight games for the All Whites.
Still a pupil at Gowerton Comprehensive School where he is currently doing his A-Levels, Sam is a Wales age-grade cap. Although he is yet to represent the Ospreys at senior level, he was the surprise inclusion in this year’s Heineken Cup squad, the youngest player registered for the competition by any of the 24 teams involved this season.
Speaking after signing his first contract with his home region, he said: “I’m really pleased to have been given this chance and to join the cause. I’ve been working hard towards it, so it’s great news that I’ve got a three-year contract. There’s even more hard work to be done if I’m going to establish myself, but I’m looking forward to developing as a player with the region and hopefully establishing myself properly.
“With players like Matthew Morgan and Dan Biggar at the Ospreys who are both still very young I know competition will be tough but if I continue to work hard then hopefully in a couple of years I can push through and challenge them for the number 10 spot.
“I’ve really enjoyed playing for Swansea this season. It’s good experience for me, to be part of a young team that is looking to improve and I want to learn from every game I play.
Ospreys Chief Operations Officer, Andrew Hore, congratulated Sam on earning his first contract, saying: “He is a young man making his first steps into the world of professional rugby, and we are delighted to be able to recognise his potential and the hard work he has put in so far to reach this stage.”
