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Will Genia’s French adventure is officially over, with Stade Francais’ manager this week telling French sports weekly L’Equipe that the Paris club has agreed to release the 29-year-old from the final season of his three-year deal.
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Speculation over the future of the Wallabies vice-captain, who is currently training with the Australia squad ahead of the Rugby Championship, has been rife for some time.
Genia signed a contract with the Australian Rugby Union in November and has spent the past few months finalising details.
But mystery remains over exactly where he will end up for the start of the next Super Rugby season – and the player is keeping his cards close to his chest.
The scrum-half had said as recently as June that he would rather return to Stade Francais for one more season than play for any club other than the Queensland Reds, who gave him his start in professional rugby, where he would reunite with Quade Cooper.
But the Reds are currently well served in the halfback department, with Nick Frisby, James Tuttle and Moses Sorovi on the books. Melbourne Rebels is the new favourite destination for the 78-cap international.
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The player has refused to be drawn on speculation at a training camp press conference, telling reporters only that an announcement will be made ‘soon’.
“It’s pretty much finalised, I’ve just got to wait and add the last little bits of the detail,” was all he would say, claiming ignorance on his final destination.
“I’m here just concentrating on camp … I’ll just wait and see where I’m going to play.”
Back in 2015, the scrum-half had turned up for duty at Stade Jean-Bouin, as he had previously promised, the day after the World Cup final, though a knee injury aggravated in the showpiece match against the All Blacks at Twickenham cut short his first season.
