Montpellier confirm arrival of England's Simmonds

England No 8 Sam Simmonds' long-mooted move to France was confirmed on Thursday when Montpellier confirmed that the Exeter player would be joining the club after the World Cup.

Simmonds, 28, who has spent his entire professional career with Exeter, has signed a three-year contract with the 2022 Top 14 champions.

Montpellier see him as the ideal replacement for compatriot Zach Mercer who is heading to Gloucester in a bid to win a place in the England team.

"Zach Mercer's departure is obviously a big loss for the club as he was so outstanding for two seasons," said coach Philippe Saint-Andre.

"But we are fortunate to have recruited Sam Simmonds who plays in a different league. Sam is a world-class player, his pedigree and statistics are impressive."

Simmonds established himself in the Exeter team in 2017 and went on to win two English Premiership titles as well at the European Champions Cup in 2020.

He has 19 caps for England but has not featured since Steve Borthwick took over as coach from Eddie Jones.

Simmonds' Exeter and England teammate Luke Cowan-Dickie, who had signed a pre-contract with Montpellier, will not be joining the club, however, after failing his medical.