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All Black lock heading to France
By Online Editors
Two-time All Black lock Dominic Bird is set to leave the Chiefs at the end of the season after he was announced as a new signing for French glamour club Racing 92.
The 27-year-old will be one of eight new faces at the club, joining the likes of Finn Russell, Simon Zebo and Ben Volavola.
Bird will replace the retiring Argentinian Patricio Albacete.
Bird is currently in his fifth year of Super Rugby after making his debut with the Crusaders in 2013.
He moved north to join the Chiefs in 2016, and his form for the side saw him re-selected for the All Blacks at the end of 2017.
Unfortunately the 2.06m lock had his 2018 campaign cut short after suffering a shoulder injury during the first game of the Super Rugby season.
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Fellow new signings Volavola and Raphael Lagarde will likely battle to back up Scottish international Russell, with all three new fly-halves joining the club after the departures of Daniel Carter and Remi Tales. The club will also be without the recently re-signed Patrick Lambie for an extended period after the Springbok suffered a serious knee injury during the recent Champions cup final at Bilbao.
Club president Jacky Lorenzetti earlier confirmed the arrival of Irish international Simon Zebo from PRO14 side Munster and French flanker Fabien Sanconnie from Brive.
Also signed up are Dax centre Olivier Klemenczak and 17-year-old Massy flanker Jordan Joseph, who is currently representing France at the U20 World Championship.
Yannick Nyanga, who has retired from playing at 34, will remain with the club as sporting director.
Nyanga will join forces with former Racing teammates Chris Masoe and Casey Laulala, who have been taken on as coaching assistants.
RACING 92
Departures
Viliamu Afatia, Marc Andreu, Dan Carter, Remi Tales, Albert Vulivuli, Anthony Tuitavake
Retirements
Patricio Albacete, Dambielle Benjamin, Casey Laulala, Yannick Nyanga
Arrivals
Dominic Bird, Jordan Joseph, Fabien Sanconnie, Finn Russell, Raphael Lagarde, Olivier Klemenczack, Ben Volavola, Simon Zebo
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Latest Comments
I think we need to get innovative with the new laws.
Now red cards are only 20 minutes, Razor should send Finau on a head hunting mission to hospitalise their 10 with a shoulder to the chops.
Give the conspiracy theorists a win.
Go to commentsEngland played well enough to win but couldnt score when they needed to and couldnt defend a couple of X-Factor moments from Telea which was ultimately the difference. They needed to hold the ball more and make the AB's make more tackles. Territorially they were good for the first 60. Defending their lead and playing pragmatic rugby in the last 20 was silly. The AB's always had the potential to come back. England still have a long way to go, definite progress would have been shown had they won but it seems they are still stuck where they were shortly after the six nations and their tour to NZ
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