Gallagher Chief Adam Thomson and former Gallagher Chief Patrick Osborne sign for Waikato

Waikato Rugby is pleased to announce the signing of international duo of Patrick Osborne and Adam Thomson for the upcoming Mitre 10 Cup season.

Osborne, a Fijian international winger since 2016 made himself available for his country of birth; after he was twice named in an All Blacks training squad in 2014 and 2015 but never selected. Osborne brings experience to the side having recorded 42 appearances for Canterbury at a provincial level, on top of the 60 Super Rugby caps for the Gallagher Chiefs (9) and the Highlanders (51) recording a total of 165 points across the two competitions between 2013 and 2017.

Thomson, is a World Cup winning loose forward having played for the All Blacks between 2008 and 2012, amassed a total of 31 appearances and 30 points for the national side. He also has plenty of provincial and super rugby experience, having played 62 times for Otago in the national provincial competition and this season became a Super Rugby centurion reaching this total with four different franchises, Highlanders (67), Reds (15), Rebels (13) and Gallagher Chiefs (5), scoring a total of 190 points.

Waikato Head Coach Andrew Strawbridge said, “We are pleased to welcome both Patrick and Adam to the Waikato team for the for the upcoming 2020 Season. Both players are very experienced hardworking leaders and have the versatility to cover several positions in our squad.

Their experience will be vital for the younger members of our squad to help them learn and grow; we believe they will fit seamlessly into the team for this season.”

Waikato will announce their entire 2020 Mitre 10 Cup squad after the launch next Tuesday morning.