Taylor inks Super 14 contract with Reds
He might be an impressive 1.94m and 111kg but new Queensland Reds signing Ezra Taylor will find it tough filling the big shoes left for him at the Super 14 rugby club.
Australian-born, New Zealand Super 14 forward Taylor on Tuesday signed a two-year contract with the Reds.
Taylor comes in vying for the No.8 spot made vacant by none other than retired skipper John Roe.
Queensland Rugby Union's Ben Whitaker said Roe's unexpected decision to retire for injury reasons created a vacancy in the Reds' backrow stocks - and Taylor fitted the bill.
"Ezra's had high level experience already but has the potential to go much further," he said.
"He's a big, abrasive backrower who carries the ball well and, because of his past experience playing at lock, also jumps extremely well in the lineout.
"He wants to come to Queensland to develop his game and he's signed today in the full knowledge that he'll be vying for the No.8 spot with our 2008 Rookie of the Year Leroy Houston, which gives us tremendous depth and competition for that position."
The signing has also been Australian basketball's gain.
Taylor's partner - New Zealand's Beijing Olympic basketballer Natalie Purcell - will relocate to Brisbane with him and join new WNBL franchise the Logan Thunder.
Taylor, 25, made his Super 14 debut for the Highlanders in 2007 but missed the 2008 season with a serious knee injury.
He was born in Brisbane but moved to New Zealand with his family when he was three.
"I'd been looking at it (moving to Brisbane) for the last three years," Taylor said today.
"But when I had the knee injury this year I had more time to think about what I wanted to do in my rugby career and decided to make the move."
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