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Taylor Paris will indeed be packing his bags for Castres next season. The Agen star and vice-captain had been tabbed as an ideal replacement for France World Cup squad member Rémy Grosso who is departing for Clermont Auvergne. Castres manager Christophe Urios has confirmed the Canadian winger will arrive next season after securing his release from the final year of his contract with Agen in order to join the mid-table Top 14 club. The contract length has yet to be revealed.
Agen are currently in 4th spot in the Pro D2 but only three points behind division leaders Colomiers in the race for automatic promotion. While an immediate return to the Top 14 is well within their sights, there is no guarantee and if Agen were promoted they would compete in the second-tier European Challenge Cup competition. By joining Castres, Paris is not only guaranteed to play in the premier professional division in France, but is also well-placed to compete in the Champions Cup provided Castres maintain their current 6th place spot or better. Were they to drop to 7th they could still qualify via the playoff route.
While there are still several months to be completed in the current season, Paris will be eagerly awaiting his chance to finally perform at the highest levels of European rugby. The 24-year-old was cruelly robbed of his first opportunity as a serious knee injury suffered against the US Eagles in a World Cup warm-up match not only ruled him out of the flagship international tournament but also the entirety of Agen’s Top 14 season. Castres will be his third professional club, having previously spent time with Glasgow Warriors before moving to France in the 2013-14 season. Paris was a Pro D2 Player of the Year nominee following his outstanding 2014-15 season, scoring 12 tries in 28 games.
