Confirmed international arrivals in France for the 2011/12 season so far include Max Evans (Castres), Sitiveni Sivivatu (Clermont Auvergne), Lee Byrne (Clermont Auvergne), Regan King (Clermont Auvergne), Nathan Hines (Clermont Auvergne), Lucas Amorosino (Montpellier), James Hook (Perpignan), Bakkies Botha (Toulon), Matt Giteau (Toulon), Eifion Lewis-Roberts (Toulon), Luke Burgess (Stade Toulousain), Luke McAlister (Stade Toulousain) and Gurthro Steenkamp (Stade Toulousain).

Other internationals on the move within France include Byron Kelleher (Stade Toulousain to Bayonne), Benoît Baby (Clermont Auvergne to Biarritz), Saimone Taumoepeau (Toulon to Castres), Benjamin Kayser (Clermont Auvergne to Castres), David Skrela (Stade Toulousain to Castres), Rémy Martin (Bayonne to Montpellier), Fabrice Estebanez (Brive to Racing-Métro 92), Alexis Palisson (Brive to Toulon), Sébastien Tillous-Borde (Castres to Toulon) and Lionel Beauxis (Stade Francais to Stade Toulousain).

All of the above deals have been signed, sealed and officially announced. Most of the international stars who have committed to French clubs next season won't arrive, however, until after the 2011 Rugby World Cup, being held in New Zealand.

Now, here's the 'nearly' facts...

This is where it becomes slightly more speculatory, although most of these transfers are now either nearly complete, or still under construction. One such case is the disputed acquisition of London Irish and England flanker Steffon Armitage by Toulon. The French club has already announced that Armitage has agreed a two-year deal, while the Exiles maintain that Armitage won't be going anywhere until they have signed a "suitable" replacement.

That seems straight forward enough really, and would seem to be Toulon merely jumping the gun slightly in terms of announcing the transfer. Another deal nearing completion will see Stade Toulousain signing Springbok hooker Gary Botha - expected to be confirmed shortly. One less straight-forward switch involves former All Black Sione Lauaki, who is currently plying his trade with French champions Clermont Auvergne.

The 29-year-old back-rower signed a pre-contract agreement to join Bayonne some months ago - along with Stade Toulousain's Byron Kelleher - but the change of chairmanship at the Basque outfit may have given him a way out after having had a re-think.

Likely big-name movers...

All Blacks fly-half Dan Carter appears set for a second spell in French club rugby, but not back at Perpignan. The Catalans have already signed Welsh international James Hook to fill their No 10 shirt, leaving the path clear for big-spending Racing-Métro 92 to lure Carter to Paris on a megabucks deal reported to worth more than €1m per season. According to French reports this deal will be finalized shortly after Bath's attempt to hi-jack the transfer floundered due to the restrictive salary cap in place in England.

Mathieu Bastareaud also appears set on a change of clubs, with the hulking Stade Francais centre coveted by Toulon. This deal makes sense on many levels, with Bastareaud apparently in need of a change of environment after stagnation in the French capital. Stade's need to ease their finances is another factor, while head coach Michael Cheika is also keen to take Toulon's Argentine Felipe Contepomi to plug the gap left by Lionel Beauxis' transfer to Stade Toulousain.

Another mega-bucks deals currently being pondered is Toulon's offer to All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams. Toulon owner Mourad Boudjellal is desperate to bring his former charge back 'home', and Williams could well be tempted by the extraordinary cash being waved in his direction by the comic-book multi-millionaire. He could even be reunited with former Bulldogs team-mate Willie Mason, according to reports this week.

Mason is only just into a two-year deal with English rugby league side Hull KR, but passport problems are dragging on and the Tongan could sign for Toulon without such worries. His agent Greg Keenan was reportedly seen having lunch with Boudjellal last week. Watch this space...

It's not all incoming traffic at Toulon though, with former England international among Tom May among several confirmed departures as the ambitious Cote d'Azur club makes room for its new arrivals. Another former England star who could be on his way out is winger Paul Sackey, who has failed to overly impress this season. His weekend try-double against Stade Toulousain may have come too late to save his Toulon career - after just one season - but it should at least alert other French clubs to his finishing talents.

Club-colleague Gavin Henson will certainly not be at Toulon next season after his weekend fracas with team-mates following that victory over Toulouse, but like Sackey his late season performances may tempt others to take a gamble on the headline-making centre.

Possible movers...

Among a host of players who run out of contract this summer is Stade Francais and England flanker James Haskell. The former Wasps player has impressed since moving to France two seasons ago, but he may now be itching for a move to a club which can compete for honours both domestically and on a European stage. Stade may be in the semi-finals of the ACC - where they meet Clermont Auvergne - but unless they win that competition they will be absent from the Heineken Cup for a second successive season, such has been their woeful league form over the past 24 months.

Haskell is certainly not short of admirers in Top 14, with Biarritz and Stade Toulousain possible destinations should he wish to change clubs. Likewise, Haskell's housemate and club colleague Ollie Phillips is up for grabs, with the former England sevens captain keen to stay in France, where is currently joint fifth highest try-scorer.

And what of Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips, who has been given permission to leave by the Ospreys after agitating for a move. It had been widely reported that Phillips was being lined up by Stade Toulousain, but that always seemed wide of the mark given the European champions' stated interest in Burgess. It will clearly take a bit of cash to get him across 'Le Channel', but Racing could move for such a player, while Bayonne may pull off a transfer coup or two now they have a new and ambitious president.

More to follow...

There will undoubtedly be more internationals signing with French clubs over the coming months, with the upcoming World Cup set to free up a host of southern-hemisphere stars. Could Richie McCaw be tempted for a French sojourn if he can finally land New Zealand their second ever World Cup triumph?

ProD2 leaders Lyon OU will also be in line for some major bolstering once they finally confirm their ascendancy to Top 14. They certainly have big ambitions, as befitting a club coming from France's second city, and with Rafael Saint-André at the helm - Philippe's brother - they are likely to go on something of a shopping spree once their future status is sorted.

They have already approached Stade Toulousain's Frédéric Michalak. although that deal looks a non-starter with the French international preferring to head south and try his hand at Super 15 rugby.

One player that won't be coming is Welsh winger Shane Williams, although it wasn't for lack of trying on the player's behalf - merely a lack of concrete offers from prospective French employers.

Other names being bandied about in the French press include the likes of Steffon Armitage's brother Delon, as well as All Blacks Joe Rokocoko and Ma'a Nonu. Then there's always the Australian rugby league goldmine to explore... 

Top 14 transfers so far confirmed for 2011/12...

SU Agen
Players Signed	Age	Position	Previous club	Nationality
Dewald Senekal *	30	Back row	Toulon	South African
Sylver Tian *	30	Full-back	Bourgoin	Ivory Coast
Hendro Scholtz *	31	Back row	Free State Cheetahs	South African
Marc Giraud	25	Back row	Montpellier	French
Out	Age	Position	Club	Nationality
Brice Mach	25	Hooker	Castres	French
Florent Cazeaux	29	Winger	Carcassonne	French

 

Bayonne				Bayonne squad page
Players Signed	Age	Position	Previous club	Nationality
Byron Kelleher	35	Scrum-half	Stade Toulousain (tbc)	New Zealand
Sione Lauaki	29	Back row	Bayonne (tbc)	New Zealand
Marvin O'Connor	19	Winger	Grenoble	French
Out	Age	Position	Club	Nationality
Rémy Martin	31	Back row	Montpellier	French
Ross Filipo	31	Lock	London Wasps	New Zealand
Jean-Baptiste Peyras	26	Winger	Montpellier	French
Arnaud Heguy	26	Hooker	Biarritz	French

Biarritz Olympique				Biarritz squad page
Players Signed	Age	Position	Previous club	Nationality
Eusebio Guinazu *	29	Prop	Stormers	Argentine
Arnaud Heguy	26	Hooker	Bayonne	French
Benoit Baby	27	Full-back	Clermont Auvergne	French
Out	Age	Position	Club	Nationality
Ayoola Erinle	30	Centre	-	English
Fabien Alexandre *	25	Back row	Grenoble	French
Yann Fior	24	Wing	Brive (tbc)	French
Arnaud Mignardi	24	Centre	Brive (tbc)	French

 

Bourgoin				Bourgoin squad page
In	Age	Position	Previous club	Nationality
-	-	-	-	-
Out	Age	Position	Club	Nationality
Alex Tulou *	23	Flanker	Montpellier	Samoan
Sylver Tian *	30	Full-back	SU Agen	Ivory Coast
Nemani Nadolo	22	Winger	Exeter Chiefs	Fijian
Rudi Coetzee *	29	Centre	Perpignan	South African

Brive				Brive squad page
Players Signed	Age	Position	Previous club	Nationality
Yann Fior	24	Wing	Biarritz (tbc)	French
Arnaud Mignardi	24	Centre	Biarritz (tbc)	French
Petrus Hauman	24	Back row	Aurillac	South African
Out	Age	Position	Club	Nationality
Gerhard Vosloo	31	Back row	Clermont Auvergne	South African
Alexis Palisson	23	Winger / Full-back	Toulon	French
Shaun Perry	32	Scrum-half	Worcester Warriors	English
Fabrice Estebanez	30	Fly-half / Centre	Racing-Métro 92	French

 

Castres Olympique				Castres squad page
Players Signed	Age	Position	Previous club	Nationality
Josh Tatapu *	24	Centre	Otago	Samoan
Max Evans	27	Centre	Glasgow Warriors	Scottish
Saimone Taumoepeau	31	Prop	Toulon	New Zealand
Brice Mach	25	Hooker	SU Agen	French
Thierry Lacrampe	23	Scrum-half	Tarbes	French
Rémy Tales	26	Fly-half	La Rochelle	French
Rémy Lamerat	21	Centre	Stade Toulousain	French
Pierre-Gilles Lakafia	24	Winger	Stade Toulousain (tbc)	French
Out	Age	Position	Club	Nationality
Sébastien Tillous-Borde	25	Scrum-half	Toulon	French
Yoan Audrin	29	Centre	Montpellier	French
Benjamin Kayser	26	Hooker	Clermont Auvergne	French
Cameron McIntyre	29	Fly-half	-	New Zealand
Josh Tatapu *	24	Centre	Exeter Chiefs	Samoan

Clermont Auvergne				Clermont squad page
Players Signed	Age	Position	Previous club	Nationality
Sitiveni Sivivatu	28	Winger	Waikato Chiefs	New Zealand
George Pisi *	24	Centre / Full-back	Auckland Blues	Samoan
Nathan Hines	35	Lock	Leinster	Scottish
Gerhard Vosloo	31	Back row	Brive	South African
Benjamin Kayser	26	Hooker	Castres	French
David Skrela	31	Fly-half	Stade Toulousain	French
Lee Byrne	30	Full-back	Ospreys	Welsh
Regan King	30	Centre	Llanelli Scarlets	New Zealand
Daniel Kotze	23	Prop	Aurillac (tbc)	South African
Andrei Ostrikov	23	Lock	Aurillac (tbc)	Russian
Out	Age	Position	Club	Nationality
Napolioni Nalaga	24	Winger	-	Fijian
Agustin Creevy	25	Hooker	Montpellier	Argentine
Benoit Baby	27	Full-back	Biarritz	French
Mario Ledesma	37	Hooker	-	Argentine
Thibault Privat	32	Lock	Montpellier	French
Sione Lauaki	29	Back row	Bayonne (tbc)	New Zealand
Tasesa Lavea	30	Fly-half	Sale Sharks	New Zealand
Marius Joubert	31	Centre	Natal Sharks	South African

 

La Rochelle
Players Signed	Age	Position	Previous club	Nationality
Greg Goosen *	27	Full-back	Racing-Métro 92	South African
Damien Cler	27	Winger	Mont-de-Marsan	French
Out	Age	Position	Club	Nationality
Rémy Tales	26	Fly-half	Castres	French
Thomas Combezou	24	Centre	Montpellier	French

Montpellier				Montpellier squad page
Players Signed	Age	Position	Previous club	Nationality
Rémy Martin	31	Back row	Bayonne	French
Jean-Baptiste Peyras	26	Winger	Bayonne	French
Alex Tulou *	23	Flanker	Bourgoin	Samoan
Yoan Audrin	29	Centre	Castres	French
Agustin Creevy	25	Hooker	Clermont Auvergne	Argentine
Lucas Amorosino	25	Full-back / Winger	Leicester Tigers	Argentine
Clément Marienval	25	Winger	Toulon	French
Thibault Privat	32	Lock	Clermont Auvergne	French
Thomas Combezou	24	Centre	Montpellier	French
Out	Age	Position	Club	Nationality
Marc Giraud	25	Back row	SU Agen	French

Perpignan				Perpignan squad page
Players Signed	Age	Position	Previous club	Nationality
James Hook	24	Fly-half / Centre	Ospreys	Welsh
Rudi Coetzee *	29	Centre	Bourgoin	South African
Out	Age	Position	Club	Nationality
-	-	-	-	-

Racing-Métro 92				Racing-Métro squad page
Players Signed	Age	Position	Previous club	Nationality
Josh Matavesi	20	Back	Exeter Chiefs	Fijian
Thomas Bianchin	23	Hooker	Grenoble	French
Fabrice Estebanez	30	Fly-half / Centre	Brive (tbc)	French
Out	Age	Position	Club	Nationality
Greg Goosen *	27	Full-back	La Rochelle	South African