Leinster's 18-cap tighthead set to join Top 14 giants - report

Samoa captain Michael Ala’alatoa is set to join Top 14 outfit ASM Clermont-Auvergne at the end of the season, according to French publication L’Equipe.

The Leinster tighthead has agreed a two-year deal with the two-time French champions and will move to the Stade Marcel-Michelin at the end of the current campaign with the Irish province.

The 32-year-old arrived at Leinster in 2021, and has featured from the bench in the last two Heineken Champions Cup finals (receiving a red card in this year’s installment). He started in his first game of the season at the weekend, a United Rugby Championship win over the Sharks, having returned from Samoa’s World Cup campaign where he featured in all four of their matches.

WATCH as two-time World Cup-winning Springbok captain Siya Kolisi gives an emotional farewell speech to departing coacj Jacques Nienaber

WATCH as two-time World Cup-winning Springbok captain Siya Kolisi gives an emotional farewell speech to departing coacj Jacques Nienaber

Ala’alatoa came within one point of leading Samoa to their first ever victory over England in their final pool match of the World Cup. After the 18-17 loss he said: “Really disappointed. Lost for words really around the way the result went but that’s the game we were looking for this whole World Cup. We’ve shown in glimpses what we can do and tonight we put in an 80-minute performance that we can be proud of. Immensely proud of my boys, we left it all out there and we did everything we could to win that game. Some of the England players said themselves that it’s the toughest game they’ve had so far. It’s good to know that as well.”