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Report: All Black Harry Pummer in talks with Top 14's Clermont

Harry Plummer of the All Blacks XV. Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images

Recent All Black debutant and Super Rugby Pacific champion first five-eighth Harry Plummer is reportedly engaged in contract discussions with Top 14 club Clermont.

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The 26-year-old, who this season established himself in the All Blacks playmaker picture behind Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie, has one season remaining on his contract with the Blues.

Despite his recent elevation through the New Zealand ranks, a report from French publication Midi Olympique claims Plummer recently visited the club who currently occupy sixth place on the Top 14 table and his signature is expected in the coming weeks.

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Plummer trained with the All Blacks in Tokyo to begin their Northern Tour before flying to Ireland to join the All Blacks XV for their opening match against Munster, a game he started in the No. 10 jersey and finished with an intercept try.

Plummer then returned to the All Blacks to replace midfielder Billy Proctor who flew home to New Zealand for the birth of his child, and Plummer has been with the team ever since, including during last week’s Test week in France. A leg injury has however kept him out of training in recent weeks.

Should Plummer sign in the Top 14, it would fulfil a need for the Clermont club who, unlike his Super Rugby club the Blues, are lacking depth at the flyhalf position.

The Aucklanders will be stacked with three All Blacks playmakers in 2025, with Beauden Barrett returning from a sabbatical in Japan to join Plummer and Stephen Perofeta for the reigning champions.

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All three players can navigate the logjam by starting across the backline, but the No. 10 jersey Plummer thrived in throughout 2024 will most likely be occupied by Barrett, pushing the one-time All Black to inside centre.

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The 2024 success story recently reflected on his whirlwind season with RugbyPass‘ Finn Morton.

“I’m stoked with how it’s all played out. A lot of my opportunities this year have come from injury or illness or whatever from other players,” he said.

“It’s probably been a story of my career that I’ve been able to cover so many positions, that I come off the bench and make it quite easy to pick me for a bench player because I can cover a few (positions).

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“Stevie (Perofeta) was playing some really good rugby with the Blues, we had some awesome twelves in AJ (Lam), Bryce Heem and Corey Evans… it was really competitive. Obviously, I got my shot when Stevie went down.

“I saw it as a moment to take it and run with it.

“Obviously for that season I was recognised for this and managed to come in and the same thing with my debut, I wasn’t named and then someone goes down and to be able to get my shot, it’s all happened pretty fast.”

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2 Comments
B
Bull Shark 23 days ago

Isn’t this guy supposed to be third in line for the 10 jersey?


So does this mean we’re really just killing time until Richie comes back?

I
Icefarrow 23 days ago

4th in line. Perofeta is ahead of him at both the Blues and All Blacks. His actual starting position is Centre, been used at Fullback and First Five-Eight due to injuries.


A shame he may be going, plenty of potential.

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Nickers 54 minutes ago
'Razor's conservatism is in danger of halting New Zealand's progress'

Razor seems totally at sea to me.


He squandered his first year when he could have been bringing in loads of new players at the expense of results. Instead he chased the win from week to week, ironically using the same players that have been underperforming and NOT winning for years to put in mediocre performances.


The new generation of players is here right now but Razor is clearly not ready for them. Lakai, Love, Proctor, Plummer etc... could all have 5 or so games under their belt. Instead they get 2 minutes at the end of the game to win a "cap" like this is still the 80s.


He had a license to be bold this year - an obligation after 4 years of conservatism under Fozzie. But in reality it wasn't until inuries forced his hand that any progress was made this season.


Worryingly, much like Fozzie, he seems unable to diagnose and fix what is not working on attack. He desperately needs some better assistants around him.


The comparison to SA is not really a fair one. Rassie is probably under the least pressure of anyone in all of World Rugby this year coming off back to back World Cups win. It's like the ABs in 2016 - everyone thought they would have a post world cup slump but it was the exact opposite. With no pressure and no fear they payed some of the most incredible rugby that has ever been played by the All Blacks, every new player was an instant super star and it seemed like nothing could go wrong. Much the same way 2017 hit the ABs like a ton of bricks I'm sure SA will endure something similar in 2025.

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