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'Tongan Bear' Uhila signs Clermont contract extension

By Peter Thompson
Clermont Auvergne prop Loni Uhila

Loni Uhila has signed a one-year contract extension with Top 14 champions Clermont Auvergne.

The prop, nicknamed the Tongan Bear, joined Les Jaunards from Super Rugby giants Hurricanes for the 2017/18 Top 14 season but is currently sidelined with a broken arm.

Clermont announced on Saturday that they have taken up the option of keeping the 28-year-old at the club until June 2019.

The powerful, New Zealand-born Uhila is set to return in March after undergoing surgery.

He made his debut against Montpellier on November 5 but has yet to even play half an hour in total for the Vulcans.

Like cross-code All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams, Uhila has taken part in professional boxing bouts alongside his rugby career.

But unlike Williams, who has won all seven of his bouts, Uhila's record is modest.

Both his fights have been against New Zealander David Letele, known as the "Brown Butterbean", and resulted in a win apiece.