France centre heads home to Montpellier
TRANSFER NEWS: France centre Geoffrey Doumayrou is to leave La Rochelle at the end of the season to return to his home town club of Montpellier, the Top 14 club announced on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old, who played 13 times for France between 2017 and 2019, began his career with Montpellier making his Top 14 debut with them in 2009.
He spent five years with Stade Francais, winning the French title in 2015, before moving to La Rochelle in 2017.
Last weekend he played in the European Champions Cup Final which La Rochelle lost to Toulouse.
“I am very happy to come back to the club that formed me, the town where I took my first steps in the Top 14,” Doumayrou, who has signed a two-year contract to June 2024, told the Montpellier website.
“I am coming back almost 10 years later with the desire to take up this new challenge.”
Montpellier won the European Challenge Cup last week and has qualified for next season’s Champions Cup.
“We are very happy that Geoffrey is coming back,” said coach Philippe Saint-Andre.
“He is a great competitor and an experienced player who will bring us a lot both in terms of his intrinsic qualities and in developing our young players.”
