Joe Joyce revealed his conversion with Pat Lam to tell the Bristol Bears director of rugby that will leave the club was one of the toughest of his life.
The Bears second row will switch Bristol for Connacht Rugby in 2023/24, after one more season at his hometown club where he is a firm fan favourite having come through the academy a decade ago to go from 'the bin juice' as Joyce puts it, to captain the club in the Premiership.
"It is time for me to have a new challenge' Joyce said. “As everyone knows I’m a homegrown lad and a proud Bristolian, but I’m also hugely proud of my Irish heritage, so when this opportunity came about, I had to make a really tough decision and Connacht is really the only other club I’d play for.
READ MORE: Bristol Bears club stalwart confirms departure in 2023/24
“I’ve been here ten years now and loved every second of it, but if I’m going to take on a new challenge, it’s got to be next year. I’m proud of everything I’ve achieved at Bristol over such a long time but if I looked back on my career and didn’t take the opportunity to play in a different environment, I didn’t want any regrets.
“People play rugby for different reasons and having had 10 years representing my family and Bristol I think the right move for me now would be to represent the Joyce name and my heritage in Galway.
"I have got family in Galway and extended family in Mayo so the move for me makes sense but it has been a tough few weeks.
“I’ve had some tough, emotional conversations with Pat, Steve [Lansdown, the club owner], Jon [Lansdown] and Chris [Boyd, the club chairman] and they’ve been very supportive and understood eventually the feelings behind it.
"I owe a lot to Pat. Every time I have been fit he has put me in the team. I have developed my game a lot. That is why telling him was one of the toughest conversations of my life, not just in rugby. Going around to Pat’s house and telling him face to face what I was going to do.
“He said he is a proud of me.”
As well as being an impressive player, Joyce is very much the emotional heartbeat of the Bears, famous for leading the club's post match 'Blackbird' singing celebrations after wins and has emotional commentary for BBC Radio Bristol while injured.
Joyce continued: “Being out on the pitch playing for Bristol it is about more than a game for me and I think Connacht is the only other team where it will feel like that for me and I can’t afford to lose that feeling because I am a proud man and I want that feeling of representing something every time I go out on the pitch. That is one of my strengths.
“I’ll always be grateful for how understanding they’ve been and what they have done for me and for sport in this city. Before Pat came, some people said I’d never play in the Premiership and now I’ve captained the club, made over 150 appearances and won a European Cup.
“I said I didn’t want them to try and make me an offer to stay because playing for Bristol has never been about the money. I just know that now is the right time for me to experience something new."
While Bears fans will be disappointed the former Ireland U20s international is heading to the United Rugby Championship side, they will have one more year of Joyce in Bristol colours and the second row is determined to leave on a high.
He said: “It’s not over yet – there’s a huge season ahead of us and I’m determined to help make it the best one yet.”
“We have still got a year left, which is a long time, and I will cherish every moment I get on that pitch this year and leave on a high with a Premiership trophy.”
“Looking back on the last five years under Pat it has been special, but the best thing is there is still one more year to go to make the fans proud and do my best in every moment in that shirt.”
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