Scotland star ditches the Premiership for Top 14 switch – report
Jonny Gray of Scotland after the 2023 Guinness 6 Nations match Scotland vs Italy at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 18th March 2023.
The Premiership player exodus to the Top 14 is seemingly not limited to English players, as Scotland’s Jonny Gray has reportedly sealed a move across the Channel.
The 29-year-old lock’s contract at Exeter Chiefs expires at the end of the 2023/24 season and he looks set to depart Sandy Park when it does.
Bordeaux swoop to sign Gray
Midi Olympique first reported Bordeaux’s interest in the Scottish international in early November, and now L’Equipe report that the French outfit has got their man.
His impending arrival from Exeter is to offset the potential departures of ex-Wallaby lock Kane Douglas and club stalwart Jandre Marais.
Bordeaux have won five of their opening nine Top 14 fixtures in an incredibly competitive start to the 2023/24 season and are looking to add more grit to their pack with Les Bleus’ stars Maxime Lucu, Matthieu Jalibert, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Yoram Moefana and Damian Penaud in their backline.
Head coach Yannick Bru, who took charge of the side at the start of this season, has already secured the signature of highly-rated Bayonne prop Matis Perchaud, with Wallaby blindside flanker Lachlan Swinton also joining the side next season.
The ex-France hooker has also retained the services of Sipili Falatea, adding further depth to their prop stocks that includes Jefferson Poirot and Carlu Sadie.
77-Test cap lock Gray has not played since sustaining a Rugby World Cup-ending knee injury back in April but has been a key cog in Exeter Chiefs’ pack in recent seasons.
The experienced second-rower joined Exeter from Glasgow Warriors in 2020 after nine years at the Scottish side, playing over 100 times for the club.
In his first season with Exeter, he played a key role for the Chiefs as they lifted both the Premiership and Champions Cup titles.
Premiership exodus
Gray is set to add to an ever-growing list of Premiership stars leaving the league to join a Top 14 club.
Joe Simmonds, Sam Simmonds, Harry Williams, and Jack Nowell all left Exeter at the end of last season to take up contracts in the Top 14.
Meanwhile, Jack Willis, Dave Ribbans, Joe Marchant and Henry Arundell moved across the Channel, and several others, including Kyle Sinckler and Lewis Ludlam, have reportedly been targetted by French clubs.
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