Goode deal made official (From Bucks Free Press)

Ex England fly half joins Wasps

11:11am Tuesday 5th March 2013 in Sport By Alan Feldberg

ANDY Goode will join Wasps from Worcester Warriors this summer.

Goode, who played 17 times for England and scored 107 points, is the third Worcester player to make the move following on the heels of Matt Mullan and Joe Carlise, who is also a fly half.

The 32-year-old will come in as a replacement for Stephen Jones, who is joining the coaching staff at Wasps, and Nick Robinson, who is moving to Bristol.

He said: “I am delighted to be joining Wasps next season and it is clear they have made some big strides forward this year and are clearly heading in the right direction.

“I am looking forward to being coached by Dai Young who really impressed me with his vision for Wasps and where they are heading.

“I am also looking forward to working with Shane Howarth and Stephen Jones who have a wealth of international and coaching experience between them, and as young coaches who have not long retired, will have great empathy with the players and know exactly how to get the best out of them.

“With the quality players Wasps have and the exciting backs currently in the squad I am confident I will be able to contribute to the further success of Wasps.

“At the same time, I'm committed to doing my best for Worcester Warriors until the end of the season.

“I have enjoyed my time here and have a huge amount of respect for Cecil Duckworth and the board of management in the way they have built the club.

“The fans have always been fantastic towards me and that's one of the main memories I'll take with me on leaving Worcester.”

Wasps fans who went to the Sixways Stadium last Friday will have seen first hand exactly what they’ll be getting next season.

Goode steered his team into a 15-6 interval lead with a masterful kicking display and also set up Worcester’s second try for David Lemi with a magnificently unexpected chip over the Wasps defence.

Wasps will also welcome his goalkicking assurance – he is second in the all-time Premiership points charts – and his game knowledge.

Director of rugby Dai Young said: “The Aviva Premiership is an incredibly tight league and there are more one score games in this league than any other, so it is vitally important to have a recognised goal kicker in your squad.

“Andy’s record in the game speaks for itself and tactically he is an excellent number ten and I am confident he will also get our backline moving very well.

“We have a lot of young players at this club who are still finding their feet at the top level and Andy will be an important experienced head in our squad.”

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