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Clermont say they'll sign tarnished Scottish backrow John Hardie...on one condition - reports


Scotland and Edinburgh back row John Hardie
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Backrow John Hardie – who was dumped by Scottish Rugby at the end of last season – could be on the verge of a lucrative deal that would see him move to one of European rugby’s most celebrated sides.

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In October of last year Scottish Rugby and Edinburgh suspended Hardie from selection for both club or country, but gave no details on why the 29-year-old is not being considered.

New Zealand-born Hardie was not be picked for the November Tests against Samoa, New Zealand and Australia as a result.

It was widely reported that the suspension came following a club social which got out of hand, with several players enjoying themselves a little too much.

While he returned to play following suspension, he was released by Edinburgh Rugby at the end of the season.

Clermont have made no secret of their desire to sign the backrow, and are eager to avail of his abilities at the breakdown.

According to French website RugbyRama The Top14 giants have said that the deal will go ahead, provided he is fit, which is not a given for the talented New Zealand born openside.

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Hardie – who was capped 16 times for Scotland – underwent back surgery and is currently rehabilitating at Clermont, and if successful, Clermont have said they will sign him. Club president Eric De Cromières told RugbyRama that: “The Scottish-Kiwi John Hardie is actually here, right now. He is a player with whom we have been in contact since April.

“Then he had to have his back surgery, which cooled us down a bit. But we continued to follow his trail. His profile interested us, that of a tackler-scraper that we have never hidden seek.

“This should open up new opportunities for us in the rucks sector. John is with us and he is currently working in rehabilitation with our medical department. Our relationship is clear: if he is fit, he will sign. The decision will be made within two to three weeks.”

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Phantom 34 minutes ago
Nations Championship: 'The data shows the north has finally caught up with the south'

Fact: the gap between the North and the South has narrowed considerably - that I get. However, determining that only selecting only Home grown players or playing in the home country is is the optimal strategy is a bit of a toss up and highly reliant on the economies of the home union. I do understand that England and to a lesser degree Ireland selects home based only. The top 14 is a massive threat to their domestic product. France would probably not be affected (the money is at home). Fiji, Argentina, Samoa, Italy and you could even argue Scotland have only benefitted from this. Their players either go overseas to learn at higher levels (Fiji, Samoa, Argentina) or players coming into their leagues to strengthen the home product and their National teams (Scotland, Italy, Japan).

South Africa used to limit its selection to the home based players, but the reality of a weak currency vs what players could earn oversees meant that you lost access to your best players at some stage of their careers, with very few exceptions. Kolbe left SA as he was considered too small for International Rugby (yes coaches/selectors view), but ironically in France he forced selectors to notice his endeavors and select him. He is only reaching 50 caps now despite being north of 30 - granted rotation and the odd injury also played a role, but for the most part it is having debuted or becoming a regular so late.



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