James to quit Clermont for La Rochelle
James, 34, has been with Clermont since 2006, leading the Auvergne club to the French championship title in 2010.
In nine seasons with Clermont, the former Taranaki, Queensland Reds and Western Force playmaker played in and lost four other domestic finals [2007, 2008, 2009, 2015] as well as two European Cup finals [2013, 2015], each time to Toulon.
Three times the season's top scorer in the Top 14, James has had French nationality since 2013 but has never been eligible for Les Bleus after having turned out for the Australian Sevens team.
Clermont meanwhile announced the arrival in a similar deal of Australian lock Sitaleki Timani from Montpellier.
The versatile 29-year-old has been capped 18 times by the Wallabies and touched down in Montpellier in 2013.
Agence France-Presse
