Bristol Bears have confirmed the signing of former academy back-row Mitch Eadie from follow English Premiership side the Northampton Saints.
The 27-year-old, joins on a two-year deal having previously played for the Bears between 2010 and 2017, making over 130 appearances for the club before heading to the Saints.
Eadie has admitted his delight at being able to return to where it all began for him in the professional game and is looking forward to what the future holds in Bristol.
“I’ve had a great three years at Northampton, learnt a great deal and it will always be a club and location that I look back fondly on, but I’m so pleased to be coming home and I’m grateful to Pat Lam for the chance to pull on a Bristol jersey again. Playing in front of Bristolians at Ashton Gate means a lot to me and I want to make them proud. I’m looking forward to learning a lot from a great coaching group and keep developing my game. I’m excited to be able to contribute to that vision moving forward and play my part in Bristol’s success,” he said.
The Bristolian left the club due to their relegation back in 2017 and the Bears director of rugby Pat Lam is delighted to welcome him back and understood the players decision to leave before.
“We spoke on the phone when Mitch left after Bristol had been relegated in 2017. He wanted to play at the highest level and I understood his reasons at that stage. I admired what he had done for the team before I arrived – he’s an exciting young Bristolian player who cares about the club. It didn’t work out as well as Mitch would have liked at Northampton due to injury and opportunities, but it was still a great experience for him and he will have learned a huge amount. We’re delighted to have him back and we know he will add real value to our squad and can contribute across the back row for the Bears,” he said.
Eadie is Bristol’s second signing in three days following the announcement of the arrival of Kyle Sinckler earlier in the week. While the England international was brought in after the club had already signed up Fijian star Semi Radradra as they look to make a huge impact in the Premiership next season as well as on the European stage.
