Sam Simmonds future in France

Pau are again taking a close look at reuniting Montpellier No.8. Sam Simmonds with his younger brother Joe at the Stade du Hameau next season.

Simmonds, 29, was part of the Exeter Chiefs Premiership and Champions Cup double-winning side in 2020. He is in the second and final year of his contract with Montpellier but is believed to have an option for a third season.

Pau was keen on signing the England and Lions star earlier this summer before Montpellier won their battle against relegation, and there are indications that they will make another attempt if an option isn’t taken up.

Steve Hansen’s Toyota Verblitz have emerged as the clear favourites to land former Scotland Lions lock Richie Gray, whose departure from Glasgow Warriors at the end of November was confirmed on Friday.

6’10” Gray, 35, returned to Glasgow four years ago after stints with Sale Sharks, Castres, and Toulouse and has collected 79 Scotland caps and another for the Lions during their 2013 tour of Australia.

Glasgow Warriors had “agreed to allow the second-rower to pursue a new playing opportunity abroad”, according to a press release, and Fissler Confidential understands that Verblitz, based in Aichi Prefecture, will be his destination.

Solomone Tukuafu is finally set to arrive on the Basque Coast and could make his Biarritz Olympique bow against Brive next weekend after the Pro D2 pace setters enjoyed this weekend off.

Tighthead Tukuafu, 28, was a regular for Waikato in the NPC for three seasons, making a handful of Super Rugby appearances for the Chiefs and Highlanders before signing for Biarritz earlier this summer.

However, the drawn-out process of obtaining a French work visa has prevented him from playing for Biarritz, who have won four of their first five games. That red tape has now been cleared, and he was due to arrive this weekend.

Leicester Tigers have opened talks with captain and England lock Ollie Chessum about a new deal that will secure his long-term future at Welford Road.

Chessum, 24, who can also play anywhere in the back row, joined Nottingham straight from school, signed for the Tigers in 2020 and has clocked up almost 60 appearances for the club.

He is one of several senior players entering the final year of their deals with the Tigers. He was one of seven players to sign a contract extension in August 2022, and the club are keen to tie him down as quickly as possible.

Stormers utility back Suleiman Hartzenberg, who is being tipped to be part of the Springboks 2027 World Cup squad, is a player who is appearing on La Rochelle’s radar.

Cape Town-born Hartzenberg, 21, has won South Africa under-20 and A has scored 12 tries in 36 appearances for the Stormers and is someone that La Rochelle are keen to lure to the Top 14.

Speedster Hartzenberg can play wing, inside and outside centre and is being touted for selection if Rassie Erasmus decides to give fringe players a chance to impress when he names his squad to tour the UK next month.

Wallaby maverick star James O’Connor had offers on the table from France and the United States before agreeing a move to New Zealand with the Crusaders.

Utility back O’Connor, 34, signed a one-year contract with the Crusaders as Rob Penney looked for another body to replace Fergus Burke, who has signed for Premiership side Saracens as Owen Farrell’s replacement.

He opted for a move across the Tasmin Sea because he fancies the chance of a crack at the Lions next summer and could then look to wind up his career with a move to Major League Rugby, as offers will still be on the table then.

Former England flyer Jonny May has told the French media that he is disappointed that he never got the chance to win a Lions cap despite being his country’s second-highest try scorer of all time.

May, 34, is now playing for Soyaux Angouleme in the Pro D2, where he has touched down once in four appearances and scored 36 tries for England, 13 behind the all-time leading try scorer Rory Underwood.

“Regrets, no, that’s not the word. Disappointment, on the other hand, yes, a lot. I feel like I gave everything I could, and I was not selected. I couldn’t select myself. I just feel like I did my best without being caught. That’s how it is,” he said

Sale Sharks are close to agreeing to a new three-year deal with England back-row Tom Curry that will take him through until after the next World Cup in 2027.

Curry, 26, whose career was saved last season by a hip operation, rejected the chance to join Leicester Tigers in 2022 to put pen to paper on a new long-term contract with Sale was due to be out of contract at the end of the season.

But he is set to commit his future to the club and is also close to agreeing on a new deal of similar length with England fly-half George Ford, who is also in the final year of his deal.

Gloucester are getting close to agreeing on new deals with a trio of highly rated players, with Arthur Clark, Seb Blake and Caolan Englefield edging towards signing long-term deals.

The trio are in the final year of their contracts with the Cherry and Whites, who have been looking to get all of their business done early and started to talk to them about new deals in the middle of pre-season.

Sources in the West Country indicate that unless there are any last-minute hitches, they are expecting them all to put pen to paper and agree to stay at the club.

Former England and Lions coach Jon Clarke is embroiled in a tug-of-war between clubs in the NRL and Super League after it was announced that he would link up with Hull FC next season.

Ex-league star Clarke, who worked for England during the 2019 World Cup and the Lions when they toured South Africa two years later, had been named by Hull last week as their new High-Performance consultant.

But his current employer, Manly Sea Eagles, insists that he sees out the final year of his contract with them and continue to work with another former Eddie Jones assistant, Anthony Seibold.