Versatile forward Joe Batley has re-joined Bristol Bears with immediate effect, the club have confirmed.
The 26-year-old, who can play in the second row and back row, returns to Ashton Gate after leaving Worcester Warriors following their financial collapse.
The Rugby Football Union has announced today that Worcester have been suspended from the Gallagher Premiership and Premiership Rugby Cup for the remainder of the 2022-23 season. It is the latest devastating development as Warriors’ future had been left in doubt after the club was partially liquidated at a High Court hearing on Wednesday, with HM Revenue and Customs pursuing unpaid tax in the region of £6million.
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Wednesday’s ruling instructed that WRFC Players Ltd, a subsidiary of WRFC Trading Ltd through which players and some staff are paid, be wound up. The practical result of the ruling was all players at the club became out of work free agents.
Club captain Ted Hill, Ollie Lawrence, Fergus Lee-Warner and Valeriy Morozov had already joined Bath on loan and British and Irish Lions winger Duhan van der Merwe has returned to former club Edinburgh.
Batley joined Worcester in the summer of 2020, linking up with his former forward coach at Bristol, Jonathan Thomas, who went on to become head coach at Sixways before departing in January of this year with Steve Diamond arriving at the club.
Batley came through the youth system at Gosport & Fareham before being signed by Gloucester where he developed through the Academy to the senior squad. The 6ft 6in forward joined Bristol in 2017 but his career was disrupted when he was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin’s Lymphoma during the Bears’ Greene Ling IPA Championship-winning campaign the following year.
He was given the all-clear to resume playing after a course of debilitating chemotherapy and was on loan at Leicester Tigers before the Gallagher Premiership season was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
Discussing Batley's return, Bristol director of rugby, Pat Lam, said: "It's been a challenging time for Joe and his family, but we are pleased to be able to bring him back into a club and system he knows and enjoys.
“He's grown and developed massively during his time in Worcester, and I know he will add real value to our team going forward."
Batley has found a new gear since joining Worcester Warriors and returns an improved player with analyst Sam Larner pointing out he beaten the second most defenders of any lock in the Premiership this season and is one of only two second rows to have made 150 plus tackles with fewer than 10 missed.
In the near future will provide like for like cover for Chris Vui at Bristol while he is away on international duty with Samoa this Autumn.
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