Piers Francis: Bath fly-half leaves club for Japanese side

Francis scored two tries for Bath during his time with the club

Fly-half Piers Francis is to leave Bath to join Japanese side Kurita Water Gush Akishima.

The 33-year-old has made 20 appearances for the club since joining from Northampton at the start of last season, scoring 109 points and two tries during that time.

His three games this campaign have all come in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

Francis began his career in Saracens' academy before moving to New Zealand. He joined Saints in 2017.

"Whilst we recognise his departure will be a big loss to our squad, we appreciate this is a brilliant opportunity for Piers to take on an exciting new challenge overseas," head of rugby Johann van Graan said.