Former All Blacks forward Pita Gus Sowakula and ex-Wallabies lock Rob Simmons have signed contract extensions with French Top 14 club Clermont.
Sowakula follows fellow former All Black Jack Goodhue in extending his stay in France and putting his Test career on hold for the time being.
All Blacks staying in France
Goodhue was a regular starter for Scott Robertson during his time with the Crusaders but has been unavailable to the All Blacks boss in 2024 after he left New Zealand to join the Top 14 club Castres following the conclusion of the 2023 season.
The centre struggled with injuries during the latter stages of his career in New Zealand but was still expected to crack the All Blacks’ 2023 Rugby World Cup squad but it was not to be.
Last month, the former Crusader signed an extension with Castres until the end of the 2026/27 season, all but ruling out a potential return in time for the World Cup in Australia. However, Robertson has been boosted by the return of Leicester Fainga’anuku, who will rejoin the Crusaders in 2026.
However, Robertson’s back-row stocks have not been boosted by the return of Sowakula, who has extended his contract with Clermont until June 2027 with the option of a further year. The 30-year-old played twice for the All Blacks in 2022, coming off the bench in the infamous series defeat to Ireland.
The news of his extension came along with news that veteran Wallabies lock Simmons had also penned a new deal until the June 2026, as well as that of Thibaud Lanen and Joris Jurand.
Ex-All Blacks star extends overseas deal after Scott Robertson’s plea
Kerr-Barlow changes clubs
Meanwhile, former All Blacks scrum-half and 2015 Rugby World Cup winner Tawera Kerr-Barlow will be leaving La Rochelle at the end of the season but will not be returning to the southern hemisphere.
The halfback technically qualifies to represent Australia having spent four years in the Test wilderness after joining the French club in 2017. He previously expressed interest in doing so when Dave Rennie was in charge but talks of that have since died down.
According to a report by Midi Olympique, Kerr-Barlow has not been offered a contract extension with Ronan O’Gara’s team with Nolann Le Garrec joining from Racing 92 next season. However, the halfback will remain in France after reportedly signing a two-year deal with Parisian club Stade Francais where he will link up with fellow ex-All Blacks scrum-half Brad Weber.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/ex-all-blacks-extends-french-stay-along-with-former-wallabies-lock-as-world-cup-winning-scrum-half-changes-clubs
