Jonny Gray becomes the latest Scot to take up Top 14 deal
Following the Heineken Champions Cup Quarterfinals between the Exeter Chiefs and DHL Stormers at Sandy Park in Exeter, England on April 8, 2023, Jonny Gray of the Exeter Chiefs cheers as the players leave the field and form a tunnel. (Ryan Hiscott/Getty Images photo)
Scottish international Jonny Gray is expected to sign a contract to play for Bordeaux-Bègles Union, a Top 14 team, and will be leaving Exeter Chiefs to take on a new challenge in France.
This big move is part of UBB’s strategy to strengthen their roster in anticipation of former Wallaby Kane Douglas and Jandre Marais’s possible exit.
With 77 caps, Gray is a senior member of the Scottish team and has been an important member of the Exeter Chiefs since coming from Glasgow Warriors in 2020. The second row is anticipated to recover in time for the Guinness Six Nations. He suffered a knee cap injury during Exeter’s Champions Cup semi-final loss to La Rochelle at the end of the previous season, which prevented him from playing in Scotland’s Rugby World Cup.
Deon Fourie is surrounded by Stormers in the Stormers’ new leadership group.
The transfer to Bordeaux, which was initially reported by Midi Olympique and then verified by L’Equipe, continues a trend this season where players from the UK are being enticed to France on attractive contracts that Gallagher Premiership teams are finding it difficult to match. Following the exits of both Blair Kinghorn and Ben White to France—toulona and Toulouse, respectively—Gray has joined the French club.
Devon will be deeply affected by the 29-year-old’s departure from Exeter, where he has recently held a key role. At the end of the previous season, a number of Rob Baxter’s team members were lost to France, leaving them in a state of rebuilding.
Bordeaux, in comparison, has made a remarkable effort to fill positions. They just welcomed Australian flanker Lachlan Swinton, 27, who is presently with the Waratahs, and promising prop Matis Perchaud from Bayonne. Gray’s inclusion in this lineup demonstrates the Aquitaine-based team’s commitment to competing in the Top 14 at the greatest level.
Gray joined the Glasgow team that won the Guinness PRO12 trophy in 2015 after graduating from the FOSROC Scottish Rugby Academy.The 6’5, 122kg lock made his Scotland debut in a 2013 match against South Africa when he was still at Scotstoun.
