Ireland star Tommy Bowe has put pen to paper on a three-year contract extension at Ospreys.
The 25-year-old – who played all three tests for the Lions in South Africa – will now stay at the Swansea-based region until the end of 2012/13.
Bowe moved to the Welsh region from Ulster in 2008 and was strongly tipped to return to Ireland when his original contract ran out in 2010.
The 25-year-old is the all-time leading Magners League try scorer and has scored 18 tries in 34 appearances for Ospreys – including an impressive nine in his last 10 outings.
And while revealing there were other options on the table Bowe insisted he didn’t want to change his winning Ospreys formula.
“The Ospreys have been the platform for much of the success I’ve enjoyed,” said Bowe – who has scored 11 tries from his 25 Ireland caps.
“I was flattered by the interest from other European clubs, but after taking advice it all came back to the fact that I am enjoying my rugby and life in general at the Ospreys.
“Obviously, a return to Ireland had a strong emotional pull and I take enormous pride in the privilege of wearing the Irish jersey.
“I just feel all the ingredients are here for long-term success. I’m very excited about what we can achieve in that space of time.”
