Rising star of the Americas handed second chance in France

Chilean scrum-half Lucas Berti has landed a two-season contract with ProD2 contenders FC Grenoble.

The 22-year-old’s performances for Chile caught the attention of several French clubs, but Grenoble have secured the upcoming Cóndores star.

Following Eric Escande’s injury, which will likely rule him out for most of the season, the Chilean emerged as a priority target, with the club making a concerted effort to bring him on board.

After the arrivals of Uruguay’s Manuel Leindekar, former Osprey James Fender, Newcastle Red Bull’s Fergus Lee-Warner, and seven others, Berti will be Grenoble’s 11th signing for the upcoming season.

It won’t be Berti’s first experience abroad, as the scrum-half began his promising career in Leinster’s academy before moving to England to sign with Bristol Bears, where he spent the 2021–22 season.

At 19, he moved to Montpellier and joined the Top 14 side on an academy contract, ultimately securing JIFF status after staying with the club for three full seasons.

Born in England to Chilean parents and also eligible for Italy, Berti came close to representing the Azzurri before ultimately committing to Chile. He earned his first cap for Los Cóndores in 2024, making his international debut against Belgium in July of that year.

A year later, the former Leinster academy player was called up for the decisive matches against Samoa, coming off the bench in both encounters as Chile secured qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Despite his performances for the national team and espoirs, Berti never featured in a Top 14 fixture for Montpellier and left the club in September 2025.

The scrum-half opted to return to Chile to play for Selknam, staying with the Super Rugby Américas franchise until June and starting in two out of three matches of Chile’s Nations Cup campaign.

With Berti joining Grenoble, Chile’s representation in the ProD2 has increased to three players, with utility back Iñaki Ayarza and lock Javier Eissmann set to feature for Oyonnax and Agen, respectively.