Fernández To Leave Clermont

Patricio Fernández is to leave Clermont, ending his contract prematurely. In 2016 the 24-year-old Argentine fly half signed a deal lasting until 2020 but he is now officially into his final season with the French club.

The decision comes with Clermont being stacked with options at fly half. The club’s regular starting 10 is Camille Lopez while Scotland’s Greig Laidlaw and Samoan international Tim Nanai-Williams are additional fly half options.

Fernández arrived at Clermont in 2014. The same is true of Lopez while Brock James departed offering Fernández plenty of enhanced game time. But with limited options and injuries factoring in, Fernández has had just two starts this season.

Clermont’s re-signing of Fernández in 2016 was strategic not only for longevity but also as a means of having a 10 during RWC 2019. Lopez is expected to be busy with France and the additional names are also likely to play in Japan. Covering this now will not be Fernández but a Frenchman.

The departure of Fernández comes with Clermont set to acquire Jules Plisson from Stade Français. The 18-time capped French international is ironically departing Paris due to the arrival of Nicolás Sánchez from Los Jaguares.

Midi Olympique has indicated that Fernández is to remain at Clermont until June 2019, the end of the current season. His release was sought mutually with the player unhappy and interested in other domains. Early signs point to interest from Top 14 rivals Lyon.

Yet this could nonetheless see a move for Fernández to Los Jaguares. The Argentine Super Rugby franchise is yet to confirm the 2019 playing roster and Head Coach Gonzalo Quesada has made no secret of the lack of fly halves within the country.

Fernández has 2 caps for Argentina but fell victim to selection policies. In looking to local rather than foreign-based talent his missed out on playing in RWC 2015. Selected instead was Santiago González Iglesias, a player heavily out of favor following the end of the Daniel Hourcade era.