Jersey's Nathan Hannay has agreed a transfer to Jersey's RFU
Championship rivals Leeds Carnegie.
The 28-year-old, who was born in Yorkshire before moving to
south-west England aged three, has signed a two-year deal with
Leeds, and will leave Jersey in May following the end of the
current season.
Ben Harvey, Director of Rugby, said: "Nathan has had an
opportunity to continue his career with a different Championship
club, and he goes with our best wishes.
"He made a significant contribution to our promotion-winning
seasons in National Two South and National One and, should all go
to plan this week, we'll be looking forward to catching up with him
again next season."
Hannay signed for Jersey is the summer of 2010 and made more
than 50 appearances for the 1st XV. He missed almost six months of
his first season through injury but returned to help Jersey to
National Two play-off success, scoring two tries in the 30-5
victory over Loughborough Students. He played 26 games in 2011/12
as Jersey claimed the National One title, and also won two Siam Cup
caps.
The lock forward captained Jersey during the first half of the
current season, and was also selected for the representative RFU
Championship XV who faced the Maori All Blacks last November (see
picture below).
In moving to Leeds, Hannay will link up with former Jersey wing
David Doherty, who spent the latter half of the 2010/11 season on
the Island before moving to Cornish Pirates and subsequently to
Leeds in his home county.
Jersey's main focus has been on achieving the results necessary
to avoid relegation in their first season at level two of the
English league pyramid. Victory over Doncaster Knights last
Saturday was a vital one for the club, but safety has yet to be
guaranteed and the Islanders have an important match at Cornish
Pirates this weekend, as well as watching out for Doncaster's
results in their final two games.
Harvey revealed that he had been working behind-the-scenes to
finalise his squad for 2013/14, including a mix of current squad
members and new signings, with announcements expected after the
season has finished.
