Adam Ashley-Cooper has confirmed that he has signed for the NSW Waratahs for the next two years.
Ashley-Cooper fronted a press conference this afternoon to outline his reason for the move. ”It’s a mixed bag — there’s a family and a partner that I want to be closer to in Sydney,” he said, without going into much detail.
The Mr Fix-It of the backline, who has been at the Brumbies for eight years, said the decision was one of the toughest he’s ever had to make, but one that he was ultimately happy with. He went on to say the dilemma had been weighing on his mind for the past six-to-eight weeks.
Despite the recent turmoil at the club involving the sacking of coach Andy Friend, Ashley-Cooper stressed that those events had no bearing on his decision. He added that he can understand that some fans may be disappointed with his move. He hoped they would also respect his decision and now he can get on with his rugby for the remainder of the 2011 season.
Although he’ll be departing Canberra at the same time as Matt Giteau, Ashley-Cooper believes the Brumbies have the depth to cover the departures of two of the most-capped players in their squad.
