France international fly-half Anthony Belleau is set to join Northampton Saints at the start of the 2025/26 season, the Club can today confirm.
The 29-year-old will arrive at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens this summer from ASM Clermont Auvergne – where he has featured for the Top14 side 81 times to date since joining them in 2022.
Belleau’s crossing of the English Channel and switch to the Gallagher Premiership will see him bolster Saints’ fly-half stocks and feature alongside fellow international No. 10 Fin Smith in Black, Green and Gold.
And for the fly-half, that is a challenge that he will relish taking with both hands.
“I’ve always had it in my mind that gaining experience outside of France was something I wanted to try,” said Belleau.
“I would always speak to the foreign players, to learn more about their culture and the way they see rugby. So, when this new chance at Saints came, I couldn’t wait to take it.
“The way Northampton play, their fast style of rugby is something that really appeals to me.”
Anthony Belleau
“I play in the Top14 – which is a tough competition – but I follow rugby everywhere in the world and I’m excited to play in a league like the Premiership.
“Getting into another rugby environment, learning new things and getting to work with the coaches at Saints is something I’m excited to do. I’m always looking to improve and there’s no better opportunity for me to do that than with Northampton.”
Saints supporters enjoyed a sneak preview of fly-half Belleau earlier this season, when he started for Clermont at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens as Saints secured a 46-24 victory to progress to the Investec Champions Cup quarter-finals.
That day the 29-year-old kicked three conversions and a penalty and while the result went his soon-to-be side’s way rather than his own, Belleau was impressed with his future ground.
He said: “That game was a hard one, but I remember as soon as Fin Smith hit the ball to kick off the game, I could hear the crowd behind me. I thought ‘oh this is a big game, the supporters are here and they’re making themselves heard’.
“I came to Northampton once before, in 2004 when I was eight years old. Agen played Northampton in the European Cup, and I came with my parents. I remember it well and I thought it was a good place.”
Belleau’s first season in Clermont colours was a prolific one, where his prowess from the tee was coupled with three tries to land him a 192-point haul across the term.
It was a trend that continued in his time at the Club and sees the fly-half set to round out three seasons at Clermont having scored almost 500 points at the end of this term, with over 400 of them from the tee.
The finest of margins 😯
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) January 13, 2023
Anthony Belleau gets the all important touch to get the Stade Marcel-Michelin rocking.#HeinekenChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/qR2Ds7qmsT
Before joining Clermont, the fly-half plied his trade at RC Toulon and spent eight seasons in the South of France, featuring some 117 times and playing a large role as Toulon reached the European Challenge Cup Final in 2022.
It was during his time at Toulon that Belleau made his first bow on the international stage, debuting for France against New Zealand in the 2017 Autumn Internationals and featuring 11 more times across two seasons, including four Six Nations appearances.
“Anthony is an international, high-quality player who has played a lot of rugby both at Toulon and Clermont,” said Saints’ director of rugby Phil Dowson of the fly-half.
“He is somebody who is looking for a change of environment, to try his hand in a different league in a foreign country and we’re excited to get him to Northampton.
“Anthony is a very intelligent player, who is also brave in the tackle. He can kick very well, he can play the ball. He is ambitious, but there are still parts of his game we can improve, and, I think most importantly, he wants to learn.
“The vital thing for us is he wants to push himself and get better. As soon as a player says that and is willing to come and try something different, you’re interested in that as a coach.
“Anthony didn’t want to sit in France and wait, he wanted to come and push the boundaries, and that says a lot about his ambition and about his desire to get out of his comfort zone.”
Phil Dowson, director of rugby
“It is a shame that so few French players play in England because there is that personality and flair there; and clearly there are some things we can learn from the French in how they play the game, France are one of the best international sides in the world at the moment.
“Getting someone here of Anthony’s experience is a very positive thing and we’re looking forward to having him in our environment.”
