Club president Jean-Claude Pats presented the new coaching structure at a press conference.

Joe El Abd, 46, currently England’s defence coach, has signed for three seasons, until 2030. Under contract with the RFU until the end of the 2027 World Cup, he will miss the off-season and the start of next season, Jean-Claude Pats said. The club did not say who will lead the team in the meantime.

From July 2027 Christophe Urios will become director of rugby for the “One ASM” project, also on a three-year deal. He will oversee recruitment, staff, the academy and the playing identity, but will no longer pick the team. “I want to take a step back and have a broader role over the medium and long term,” Urios said in the club statement.

The two men know each other well. El Abd was Urios’s assistant at Oyonnax and then at Castres, French champions in 2018. Clermont are eighth in the Top 14 with 10 points after five rounds.

Key figures

2030 end of Joe El Abd's and Christophe Urios's contracts

46 Joe El Abd's age

8th Clermont's Top 14 position after five rounds