Report: All Black Harry Pummer in talks with Top 14's Clermont

Recent All Black debutant and Super Rugby Pacific champion first five-eighth Harry Plummer is reportedly engaged in contract discussions with Top 14 club Clermont.

The 26-year-old, who this season established himself in the All Blacks playmaker picture behind Beauden Barrett and Damian McKenzie, has one season remaining on his contract with the Blues.

Despite his recent elevation through the New Zealand ranks, a report from French publication Midi Olympique claims Plummer recently visited the club who currently occupy sixth place on the Top 14 table and his signature is expected in the coming weeks.

Plummer trained with the All Blacks in Tokyo to begin their Northern Tour before flying to Ireland to join the All Blacks XV for their opening match against Munster, a game he started in the No. 10 jersey and finished with an intercept try.

Plummer then returned to the All Blacks to replace midfielder Billy Proctor who flew home to New Zealand for the birth of his child, and Plummer has been with the team ever since, including during last week’s Test week in France. A leg injury has however kept him out of training in recent weeks.

Should Plummer sign in the Top 14, it would fulfil a need for the Clermont club who, unlike his Super Rugby club the Blues, are lacking depth at the flyhalf position.

The Aucklanders will be stacked with three All Blacks playmakers in 2025, with Beauden Barrett returning from a sabbatical in Japan to join Plummer and Stephen Perofeta for the reigning champions.

All three players can navigate the logjam by starting across the backline, but the No. 10 jersey Plummer thrived in throughout 2024 will most likely be occupied by Barrett, pushing the one-time All Black to inside centre.

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The 2024 success story recently reflected on his whirlwind season with RugbyPass‘ Finn Morton.

“I’m stoked with how it’s all played out. A lot of my opportunities this year have come from injury or illness or whatever from other players,” he said.

“It’s probably been a story of my career that I’ve been able to cover so many positions, that I come off the bench and make it quite easy to pick me for a bench player because I can cover a few (positions).

“Stevie (Perofeta) was playing some really good rugby with the Blues, we had some awesome twelves in AJ (Lam), Bryce Heem and Corey Evans… it was really competitive. Obviously, I got my shot when Stevie went down.

“I saw it as a moment to take it and run with it.

“Obviously for that season I was recognised for this and managed to come in and the same thing with my debut, I wasn’t named and then someone goes down and to be able to get my shot, it’s all happened pretty fast.”