Wednesday 16 May 2018 18:08, UK
Stade Francais have signed France lock Yoann Maestri and Argentina fly-half Nicolas Sanchez for next season.
Maestri, who has won 59 caps for Les Bleus, was originally set to join La Rochelle from Toulouse but had a change of heart after coach Patrice Collazo unexpectedly left the club last week.
According to French media reports, Stade Francais paid La Rochelle €700,000 (£612,000) in compensation.
Maestri won two Top 14 titles and the 2010 European Cup with Toulouse in a nine-year spell.
Sanchez, 29, has been a star player over the last few years for Argentina and impressed at Toulon during the 2014-15 season after a three-year stint at Bordeaux-Begles.
He will now return to France after spending the last two seasons in his home country with Super Rugby's Los Jaguares.
Stade struggled this term, only avoiding relegation on the final day of the campaign, but will be expecting to rebuild under new South African coach Heyneke Meyer.
The new acquisitions are a statement of intent from Stade after being bought last year by Swiss billionaire Hans-Peter Wild, who wants the team to win the French title in the next "three or four years".
