The 23-year-old was nearly called in to train with Wales during this year’s Six Nations prior to Warren Gatland’s departure
Uncapped Ospreys second-row James Fender is closing in on a move to French Pro D2 club Grenoble.
The 23-year-old is understood to be close to signing a deal with the second tier French outfit, who once again narrowly missed out on promotion to the Top 14 this season, in what would be a massive blow for the Ospreys. However, WalesOnline understands that his departure has not been signed off yet by the Ospreys.
Amid ongoing uncertainty within Welsh rugby, many more could yet follow Fender’s path should he leave – with players still largely in the dark over the future of the game in Wales.
Fender still has a year left on his deal with the Ospreys, but has decided to leave for pastures new.
As well as Grenoble, it’s understood Top 14 clubs were interested in the lock – as were one other Welsh club.
A two-year deal is understood to be on the table from Grenoble. However, it’s possible that, given the interest from Top 14 sides, he could move on after a year should Grenoble once again miss out on promotion to the top flight.
Although he has not been called into a Wales squad yet, Fender has been on the radar of the national team for a couple of seasons. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia.
In 2024, Wales took a closer look at him after going around the four professional sides in Wales to do in-depth testing with players.
The following year, Warren Gatland had been planning to bring him in to camp during the fallow weeks of this year’s Six Nations – although that didn’t materialise after Gatland’s mid-tournament departure.
Fender would have been in the mix for the tour of Japan – although interim head coach Matt Sherratt ultimately went for Teddy Williams, Ben Carter, James Ratti and Freddie Thomas as his lock options.
As he is uncapped, Fender will still be available for Wales in the future – not yet captured by the 25-cap rule.
However, his departure is a sizeable blow for the Ospreys.
Adam Beard has joined Montpellier, meaning the second-row stocks are considerably weaker heading into next season.
Front-line stars like Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan also have a year to run on their current deals, with the pair likely to attract interest from England, France and potentially even the proposed breakaway R360 league.
WalesOnline understands the Ospreys held a meeting with players a couple of weeks ago – right before Wales were due to fly out to Japan – to allay fears amid the uncertainty.
However, some of the playing group came away unimpressed over what they heard in terms of contractual security beyond the end of next season.
That meeting with the players came days before a scheduled meeting between the Welsh Rugby Union and the professional clubs was called off at the last minute.
