Luke Morahan to exit Bristol mid-season

Former Wallabies winger Luke Morahan is set to leave Bristol early to head to France and the Top 14.

The club have confirmed that they will release “Morahan from his contract and the winger will depart the club to Top 14 side Bayonne on December 28th.”

Morahan joins the French side as medical joker. Morahan scored 47 tries in 107 appearances for the Bears and “leaves with the club’s full support and best wishes”.

Morahan has three Test caps for the Wallabies and is a former Western Force and Junior Wallabies representative.

Director of Rugby, Pat Lam, said: “Luke has been a tremendous leader and a foundation Bear who has driven the standards and set the bar for the next group of players.

“Luke was out of contract next summer and keen to stay – and while we were obviously keen to keep somebody of his quality and experience, the challenges of the reduced salary cap mean it’s impossible to keep hold of every player, a challenge that we are seeing across the Premiership now.

“He came to me with a fantastic, long-term offer from Bayonne on the proviso that he joined now as a medical joker – and with the challenges of managing the salary cap meaning that we couldn’t guarantee him an offer to stay, we have granted his early release in the best interests of Luke, Madi and his family.

“With everything he has achieved and contributed here, we feel this is the right decision and we know he will give everything to the club over December.”

A former Vodafone Super Rugby champion with the Queensland Reds (2011), Morahan was also a part of the Australian Sevens team that won the silver medal at 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, having made his debut in Sevens in 2008.

Morahan added: “Bristol has given me and my family more than I could have ever imagined when we arrived back in the Championship in 2017. My wife and I have raised our two children here and we have made lifelong friends and memories.

“I am so proud of everything that we have achieved at the club during my time here and how far the Bears have progressed in that time. There are so many highlights and I depart knowing that everything is in place for the next guys who pull on the jersey.

“To be one of the first players to make 100 appearances for the Bears and to help the club to silverware in Europe has been fantastic and I would like to thank the fans and the Bristol community for how welcome they have made us – it is a city that will always feel like home.

“Finally, I want to personally thank Pat Lam, Steve, Chris and Jon for the trust and support they have shown me, both during my time in a Bears jersey and now in agreeing to an early release so that I can support my family in an exciting new chapter in France.”