Bath prop Auterac set to leave for Premiership rivals

The transfer season is beginning to ramp up in the northern hemisphere and the next name that is set to hit the rugby headlines is Bath’s Nick Auterac.

RugbyPass understands that the loosehead prop has provisionally agreed to move to Harlequins next season, when his contract with Bath expires.

He will join Joe Marler, Kyle Sinckler and Will Collier at the Stoop and come under the tutelage of Graham Rowntree and Adam Jones, creating a front row unit at Quins with enviable depth and intellectual property.

Injuries have hindered the former Saracens academy prospect during his time at Bath but when he has been fit he has shown impressive ability and was a key cog in his side’s impressive 2014/15 season, when the club made it all the way to the final before coming up short against Saracens.

In addition to rising through the ranks in the Saracens academy, Auterac was schooled at Mill Hill in north London and it is believed that returning to the capital has been a key part of his decision to move to Quins.

He will leave a hole in the Bath side, but with the long-serving Nathan Catt and fast-improving Beno Obano both aboard, the club do have resources in place at loosehead. Academy prop Will Vaughan has also been featuring for the club in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, but it remains to be seen whether Bath will opt to strengthen the position in their recruitment for the 2018/19 season.

Auterac had been pushing for England inclusion before a string of injuries hit and he will be hopeful that he can put that run of bad luck behind him at Quins and re-establish himself as competition for Marler, Mako Vunipola and Ellis Genge in the battle for the England jersey.