Ospreys scrum-half Jason Spice will miss the first few games of next season after being granted permission to play for New Zealand side Wellington Lions.
Kiwi Spice, 31, will join the NPC side for eight weeks in the close season and will return to Wales in mid-September.
Wellington need scrum-half cover after they were hit by international call-ups for New Zealand's Tri-Nations squad.
"He is keen to help out and this means it is not a difficult decision for us to make," said Ospreys coach Lyn Jones.
"When we signed Jason from Wellington two years ago, (coach) John Plumtree allowed him an early release from his NPC contract, giving Jason a full pre-season with us and valuable time to settle into our squad.
"This demonstrated the level of cooperation and spirit that still exists within professional rugby.
"With Wellington having to some extent become a victim of their own success at scrum-half due to Piri Wipu's involvement in the Tri-Nations, it was now time for us to return the favour."
Spice is likely to play second-fiddle at the Ospreys next season following the arrival of former All Blacks scrum-half Justin Marshall.