Ross Byrne to leave Leinster as he agrees Gloucester deal

Ross Byrne is to leave Leinster at the end of the season, with the Ireland international confirming his move to English Premiership side Gloucester.

The 29-year-old is Leinster's third-highest points scorer of all time, behind only Johnny Sexton and Felipe Contepomi, and will bring an end to his 10-year career with his home province this summer.

"I'm delighted to have signed with Gloucester Rugby for next season. The club’s exciting ambitions made it an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up," Byrne said.

"The team are producing a really great brand of rugby already, and that’s certainly something that drew me to Kingsholm. I’m hoping I can add to that and help the team grow further in the future.

"Having experienced the incredible atmosphere at Kingsholm before, I’m looking forward to getting out there in Cherry & White and challenging myself in one of the most competitive leagues in world rugby."

Byrne made his debut for Leinster in September 2015, and has featured 177 times for the province in the last decade, winning a Champions Cup in 2018 as well as four URC titles.

The experienced out-half has also won a Guinness Six Nations title with Ireland, featuring in the Grand Slam campaign of 2023. In total he won 22 Irish caps, the most recent of which came against Tonga at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

While Byrne was Leinster's first choice 10 last season following the retirement of Johnny Sexton, he's found himself caught in a logjam at the province this season, with Sam Prendergast currently top of the depth chart ahead of Ciarán Frawley.

Harry Byrne, younger brother of Ross, is currently on loan at Bristol Bears in a bid to secure gametime, with multiple Irish provinces trying to tempt him away from Dublin this summer. However, his