Just a day after the IRFU and Ulster Rugby announced that they had revoked the contracts of both Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding comes news that Jackson has already been in talks to sign with another club.
Both Jackson and Olding were last month found not guilty of raping the same woman in 2016. The IRFU and Ulster subsequently announced they would be holding a review into the conduct of the players. The result of that review was the decision to cut both players loose.
Peter O'Reilly of The Sunday Times reports that French Top 14 side Clermont Auvergne are now favourites to acquire the services of out-half Jackson. It's said that the player's representatives have already been in negotiations with the club.
The 26-year-old has also been linked with both Montpellier and current Aviva Premiership champions Exeter Chiefs in recent days.
Clermont, the reigning Top 14 champions, are having a disappointing season currently sitting ninth in the table. They also exited the Champions Cup at the quarter-final stage when they lost to Racing 92 earlier this month.
In a statement following yesterday's announcement, Jackson said his "behaviour has fallen far short of the values expected of me as an international rugby player" and that his "focus in the months and years ahead will be on rebuilding the trust placed in me by people throughout Ulster and Ireland."
Photo by Oliver McVeigh/Sportsfile
