Perpignan boss confirms Jordan Petaia's exit

USA Perpignan general manager Bruno Rolland has confirmed that Australia centre Jordan Petaia will leave the club at the end of the season.

The 25-year-old has spent the past season in the Top 14, having returned to rugby in August after 18 months in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Speaking on the ‘100% USAP’ show on France Bleu, Rolland revealed the 31-cap Wallaby will make the move to Japan, though his final destination is yet to be confirmed.

Moving to Japan will not hinder Petaia’s hopes of a Test return, as Australia now have an unrestricted overseas selection policy. With the World Cup in Australia just over 18 months away, the versatile back will be looking to make a charge for the Test team, and playing outside the Top 14 may boost his chances. As players such as La Rochelle’s Will Skelton have learned, the agreement the Top 14 clubs have with Rugby Championship sides means game time on the Test stage can be limited.

While this will be a blow for Perpignan, who currently sit in 13th place in the Top 14 and therefore in line to play the ‘Access Match’ against the runner-up of the Pro D2, they have recruited well in the positions he can cover, with All Blacks duo Braydon Ennor and Sevu Reece set to join the Catalan club.

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“Jordan Petaia? He won’t be staying,” Rolland said.

“He told us he’s going to Japan next season. It’s his choice. We hadn’t even started discussions about that position yet. He preferred to take the initiative and sign with a Japanese team for next season.”

Following their recent victory over bottom-of-the-league Montauban, Perpignan opened up some space between themselves and the foot of the table, which means they will likely avoid automatic relegation at the end of the season. However, there is an 18-point gap to close with Lyon in 12th with 10 games to go this season.