Reports in France claim Stade Francais fly-half Juan-Martin Hernandez has signed for South African franchise the Natal Sharks.

Rumours of Hernandez’s imminent departure surfaced at the weekend with Top 14 clubs Bayonne, Toulon and Perpignan all thought to be in the running. But now it seems that Hernandez has followed Frederic Michalak’s lead and will instead be showcasing his skills in Super 14 next season.

The transfer was pushed through by Stade after the Paris giants got the green light to sign Leicester Tigers’ Julien Dupuy – for a fee of €200,000 – and their subsequent need to balance their books.

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Dupuy's signature was finally secured today as well, with the French international scrum-half signing a four-year deal with Stade.

His arrival could pave the way for Falie Oelschig to depart, possibly to Bayonne. Veteran Argentine Agustin Pichot has also left the club following confirmation of his (second) retirement.

Toulon and Bayonne had both put forward substantial offers to sign ‘El Mago’ – as Hernandez is known in France – but it seems the Argentine playmaker preferred to try his hand in an entirely new environment instead. Stade president Max Guazzini is understood to have asked for a €500,000 transfer fee for Hernandez, but only Bayonne were willing to stump up that amount.

According to rugbyrama.com Hernandez gave a verbal agreement to the Sharks last night (Monday).

Hernandez spent much of last season alternating between fly-half and full-back with French international Lionel Beauxis.

Elsewhere in France the rugby world is coming to terms with the latest developments in the Mathieu Bastareaud affair, following yesterday’s revelations that he had been hospitalised in a psychiatric ward.

Sports newspaper L’Equipe headlined their story “Bastareaud cracks up” and went on to suggest the player had been taken into medical supervision for his own good.

“What should have been an incident with no consequences has instead turned into a drama,” it said. “Crushed by the weight of his own lies, Mathieu Bastareaud has been hospitalised after what might have been an attempt at suicide,” read the report.

Stade’s backs coach Christophe Dominici defended the player and said he (Bastareaud) had been shocked by the level of media interest. “He does not understand what has hit him. He has been taken aback by the level it has reached. He got back drunk to the hotel, tried to take off his jeans and fell heavily on to a table. That’s all there is to it. How many other rugby players have done this?” said Dominici.

“He then wanted to hide a stupid mistake, because he was frightened. It has all got out of hand. He has to be left alone. After all, he didn’t kill anyone,” added the former France international.

It is true that Bastareaud did not kill anyone, but he did make false allegations about being mugged, caused the New Zealand Prime Minister to apologise on behalf of his country and wasted considerable police time. Not murder, for sure, but not the “jolly japes” of an innocent young player either, as Stade president Guazzini claimed late last week.

On a busy final day of transfer dealings Bayonne also snapped up 31-year-old Italian prop Salvatore Perugini from Stade Toulousain, as well as finalising the capture of Mont-de-Marsan's fly-half Benat Arrayet. The 29-year-old has agreed a three-year deal with the Basque club.

Three Bayonne players have also gone in the other direction as part of the Arrayet deal, with lock Anthony Etchegaray (23), prop Julian Florini (27) and scrum-half Julien Tilloles (31) all agreeing to join ProD2 side Mont-de-Marsan.

Finally, former Bristol coach Richard Hill has agreed a two-year deal with Federale 1 club Chalon-sur-Saone.

Hill replaces Jean-Henri Tubert, who left the club after it lost to Lannemezan in the semi-finals of the Federal 1 play-offs. Hill, 48, has been handed the task of steering Chalon into ProD2.