Stade Nicois add ex-Saracen and England U20 star as spending spree continues

Stade Nicois are continuing to add experience to their squad for a quick return to the Pro D2 next season after agreeing a deal that will see former England Under-20 loosehead Hayden Thompson-Stringer join this summer.

Stade Nicois have lost 19 of their 22 games this season, have a points difference of -256, and are 23 points adrift at the foot of the Pro D2 table. They will be playing in the Championnat Fédérale Nationale.

They have also been busy planning a quick return to the French second tier in 2026, signing veteran stars like Fiji skipper Waisea Nayacalevu, former Wales fly-half Owen Williams, and ex-Springbok No.8 Uzair Cassiem.

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Spanish scrum-half Guillaume Rouet, who has spent over 20 seasons at Bayonne, is also signed up, while Thompson-Stringer’s Provence Rugby teammate, Samoan lock Josh Tyrell, will also ply his trade at the club next season.

Thompson-Stringer, 30, who hails from Chatham in Kent, joined the Saracens academy when he was just eight, progressed through the ranks, and played in the 2019 Premiership Cup Final defeat to Northampton Saints.

He has played 11 times for Provence this season, scoring one try, after spending last season with Pau and in Super Rugby with the NSW Waratahs.

His previous experience in France includes spells at Brive and La Rochelle, and he has also played for the Manly Marlins in Australia’s Shute Shield. He will add more experience to a Les Aigles team promoted via a play-off final last year.

Stade Nicois were formed in 2012 when Rugby Nice Côte d’Azur Université-Racing went out of business. They won Federale 2 in 2018, are financed by local businessmen, and have a partnership with Nice Côte d’Azur Airport.

They are building an impressive squad on a budget that isn’t anywhere near the €35 million that Toulon are throwing around at the other end of the Côte d’Azur.