Lake vows to send Booth off with historic season

Wales hooker Dewi Lake says he was shocked astatine nan news caput coach Toby Booth will time off Ospreys astatine nan extremity of nan season, but says nan squad will effort and nonstop him disconnected pinch an historical campaign.

It was announced past week that Booth will depart astatine nan extremity of nan 2024-25 play and beryllium replaced by existent defence coach Mark Jones.

Ex-Wales flanker Justin Tipuric, who retired from world rugby successful 2023, will bent up his boots adjacent twelvemonth to switch Jones arsenic defence coach.

Booth told nan squad past Friday pinch main executive Lance Bradley stating each parties were agreed connected nan decision.

"It was astir apt rather shocking news that we recovered retired connected Friday," said Lake.

"Lance has spoken connected it arsenic has Toby truthful everyone has addressed nan determination astir it and nan emotion astir it.

"It's a caller guidance I guess. They've made that decision, it's travel from them.

"As a playing group, our only occupation is to springiness them a bully send-off, make this past play a bully 1 to retrieve for us, for him and besides 1 we tin put down successful nan history books for this club."

Booth has been astatine Ospreys since 2020 and Lake admitted nan coach had played a awesome domiciled successful his profession which saw nan hooker skipper Wales connected nan summertime circuit of Australia successful 2024.

"He has fixed maine a chance," said Lake.

"We're very aligned connected views and thoughts and nan measurement we spot nan game.

"We've sewage on very good passim nan years and he's taught maine a batch astir nan game, activity and culture.

"He's conscionable fixed maine a chance to beryllium nan champion I tin be."

Booth's bequest will beryllium bringing done young players.

"Toby's ever pushed giving young boys an opportunity from erstwhile I started nether him truthful that's ever been his philosophy," said Lake.

"It's sewage to a constituent now wherever we've sewage a beardown group of young boys that person travel done nether that regime.

"We've sewage older boys that are holding america down and doing their occupation and keeping america accountable and giving america that leadership.

"And younger boys again, conscionable bringing that energy, that want to get connected nan field, show what they tin do and spell aft everything.

"That pooled each together arsenic a group has created what you saw past play and hopefully what you'll spot this play again."

In that 2023-24 campaign, Ospreys won much games than nan different 3 master sides combined.

They reached nan Challenge Cup quarter-final and vanished successful nan apical 8 of nan United Rugby Championship (URC) wherever they mislaid successful nan quarter-finals to Munster.

"Making nan apical 8 was a immense extremity of ours, we astir apt should person done it sooner," said Lake.

"This is simply a group that should beryllium successful that apical 8 pinch nan squad extent and civilization we've built wrong nan group.

"Last twelvemonth we proved that we could be. It's astir getting location again, securing our spot and kicking connected further."

Lake, 25, hopes this Ospreys existent harvest tin emulate nan occurrence of erstwhile sides that won 4 convention titles and an Anglo-Welsh cup, pinch nan past awesome silverware coming successful 2012.

"That's wherever we're trying to get to," said Lake.

"This is an historical nine pinch an unbelievable past successful position of winning trophies and producing talent for Wales and extracurricular of it.

"That personality whitethorn person been mislaid complete nan past mates of years, but it's backmost now.

"That's our occupation to do and to support it going forward, and to not fto nan extracurricular position that this isn't a bully prestigious club, we can't fto that travel back.

"We've rebuilt this estimation and now we person to support it and footwear on."