James to quit Clermont, Parra to stay

Clermont's Australian fly-half Brock James will quit his long-time club at the season's end, but scrum-half Morgan Parra has extended his contract with the Top 14 giants until 2020.

James has signed a two-year deal with Top 14 rivals La Rochelle.

James, 34, has been with Clermont since 2006, leading the Auvergne club to the French championship title in 2010.

In nine seasons with Clermont, the former Taranaki, Queensland Reds and Western Force playmaker played in and lost four other domestic finals (2007, 2008, 2009, 2015) as well as two European Cup finals (2013, 2015), each time to Toulon.

Three times the season's top scorer in the Top 14, James has had French nationality since 2013 but has never been eligible for Les Bleus after having turned out for the Australian sevens team.

The 27-year-old Parra, capped 66 times by France, was also part of that 2010 league-winning squad, having joined Clermont in 2009 from Bourgoin.

Out of contract in June, the scrum-half extended his deal until 2020.

Clermont also announced the arrival on a two-year contract of Australian lock Sitaleki Timani from Montpellier.

The versatile 29-year-old has been capped 18 times by the Wallabies and touched down in Montpellier in 2013.

Centre Remi Lamerat will also be joining Clermont, in his case from Castres.

The 25-year-old, who has made seven appearances for France, signed up until 2019.

In other news, Johann Authier was named head coach of Oyonnax, currently bottom of the Top 14, until the end of the season.

The 33-year-old replaces Olivier Azam, sacked in mid-November because of a string of poor results.

But Azam's assistants Stephane Glass (backs) and Pascal Peyron (forwards) will stay on under Authier.
Source: AFP