Clement Castets joins the Crusaders

After an NPC season with Hawke’s Bay, the former Toulouse prop takes a step up in New Zealand.

The Crusaders unveiled their squad for the 2027 Super Rugby Pacific season on Wednesday, and it includes a Frenchman. Clement Castets, 30, joins the props “as a replacement for Williams until he is selectable”, the Christchurch franchise said. The All Black has been sidelined for several months with a serious back infection.

From Toulouse to Christchurch

A Toulouse academy product, with whom he won the French title in 2019 and 2021, Castets then played for Stade Francais from 2021 to 2025. He made 102 Top 14 appearances (53 for Toulouse, 49 for the Paris club) and played 15 matches for France Under-20. He moved to New Zealand in 2025 but injury hampered his first NPC season with Manawatu. In 2026, with Hawke’s Bay, he played ten matches, including the quarter-final defeat by Otago, and scored a try.

According to Rugbyrama, he had held talks with Perpignan a few weeks ago. Instead, he will make his Super Rugby bow with the competition’s most successful franchise, whose season starts against the Reds on 12 February 2027.