Big-spending Racing Metro have completed the signings of France internationals Lionel Nallet and Sebastien Chabal.
International duo join French revolution
Big-spending Racing Metro have completed the signings of France internationals Lionel Nallet and Sebastien Chabal.
Both players agreed in principle to join the French outfit should they gain promotion to the Top 14 - a feat they achieved on Sunday with victory over Bordeaux.
The Parisian club have been linked with a number of high-profile players throughout the season - including Newcastle's Jonny Wilkinson - as they attempt to rival fierce city counterparts Stade Francais next term.
Both 32-year-old Nallet and Chabal, 31, have penned three-year contracts with Racing Metro, and club president Jacky Lorenzetti admitted his delight with the double coup.
He said: "We have won our bet. We have been engaged for several months now in signing excellent players and not stars, because we have a habit of saying that with us there is not one individual star, it is the team that counts.
Interesting
Nallet and Chabal were team-mates at Bourgoin before Chabal, who has 47 international caps to his name, joined Sale Sharks in 2004.
Nallet also departed but remained in France with Castres, and Lorenzetti believes the acquisitions cap a memorable few days for the club.
"The team is making its return to the top division after an absence of 10 years," he said.
"I would like to thank Pierre Berbizier (the manager and former Italy coach) who I managed to convince that the project was interesting.
"People have often accused us of being mercenaries but we showed in our last match (against Bordeaux-Begles) our qualities in terms of playing as a team, which are indispensable when you play rugby.
"This bad image which we have been given, is not Racing's real one. This team has a soul."
