Harris, Armitage head to France

Harris joins from the Rebels and Armitage from Top 14 giants Toulon.

Armitage, 32, has played alongside his brother Steffon since 2012 and was part of the team that has won three successive European Cup titles as well as the French crown in 2014. He has amassed 26 caps for England but no longer plays for the national team due to the rules regarding foreign-based players.

Lyon general manager Pierre Mignoni was himself a player and assistant coach at Toulon but disagrees with claims that the team are unfairly trying to prize players from Toulon.

"We have good relations with the Toulon president. We have not stolen their players. I prefer to have them with us rather than facing up against us. These players believe in our project and it is very good that they have decided to join us," he said.

The 27-year-old Harris has played 60 Super Rugby matches and is currently with the Rebels after a stint with the Reds. The New Zealand-born back has played 10 times for the Wallabies, scoring 55 international points since making his debut in 2012.

"He is an excellent goal-kicker, a good creator, and is capable of playing at 10, 12 or 15. He plays very well at either flyhalf or inside centre and that, coupled with his kicking game, gives us a lot of interesting possibilities and a lot of options of the field," Mignoni added.

Agence France-Presse