Rugby:Leinster's Scotland forward Nathan Hines has signed for French side Clermont-Auvergne for next season. The 35-year-old has signed a one-year deal with an additional one-year option and will join the club after the conclusion of the World Cup in late October.

Hines previously played in the Top 14 for Perpignan between 2005 and 2009.

“It is a tough and passionate league which I was keen to return to,” Hines said today. “When I played for Perpignan, we won the shield but I didn’t play in the final, I was in South Africa (with the British and Irish Lions). That is frustrating but Clermont have offered me another chance to win the shield.

“It is a great team made up of excellent players, an interesting and ambitious club. They have aims in all competitions and notably the Heineken Cup, which is very important to me.”

Hines will win his 72nd cap for Scotland in Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Italy, and has also represented the Lions on four occasions.