Hurricanes prop Loni Uhila on the charge against the Crusaders in last season's Super Rugby competition.

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Loni Uhila will leave New Zealand for France after next year's Mitre 10 Cup.

The Hurricanes and Waikato prop, affectionately know as the 'Tongan Bear', has signed a one-year deal with French club Clermont Auvergne, with the option of extending the deal for another two seasons.



Waikato Rugby general manager, Blair Foote, said Uhila was planning to head to France at the end of their national provincial championship campaign.

Bruce Lim/PHOTOSPORT Loni Uhila will join French club Clermont next year.

The 27-year-old, who enjoyed his first year of Super Rugby with the Hurricanes in 2016 as they won the title for the first time, committed to Waikato with Anton Lienert-Brown for 2017 in October.

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Clermont, who lead France's Top 14 table after 13 rounds, confirmed the capture of Uhila, Scotland captain Greg Laidlaw and French winger Remy Grosso for next season on Monday (Tuesday NZ time).

Uhila has made 20 appearances for Waikato since his debut in 2012, but only played three times for the Mooloos in 2016 after breaking his arm in a 35-32 win over Auckland at Eden Park in September.

A tremendous run of form towards the end of the Super Rugby season saw Uhila start all of the Hurricanes' play-off matches, with his 15th appearance coming in the final, when they beat the Lions 20-3 at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

But Uhila will depart for France in 2017 and join Clermont, who currently have four Kiwis in their squad - former All Blacks Benson Stanley, Hosea Gear and Isaia Toeva, as well as former Chiefs No 8 Fritz Lee.