Thomas Ramos, France's first-choice full-back with 52 international caps, has agreed to join Racing 92 once his contract with Stade Toulousain expires, a move confirmed on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.
The transfer will take effect in 2027, after the Rugby World Cup in Australia, once Ramos's current deal with the Toulouse club runs out. He will leave the "Rouge et Noir" for Racing 92, based in the Hauts-de-Seine region near Paris.
Jean-Marc Arnaud, president of Le Huit, Stade Toulousain's official supporters' club, said the decision was not scandalous given the player's age and the internal pressures facing the club, including the Top 14 salary cap. Still, he said it was a shame to see a player leave who could almost have spent his entire career at Toulouse.
A player once seen as loyal to Toulouse
Arnaud said Ramos had long looked like the prototype of a one-club player, the kind fans expected to finish his career at Toulouse. He said the sporting, financial and physical demands of the modern game are increasingly pushing top players to leave the highest level earlier than expected, adding that rugby fans often find themselves in tears when a player of that talent departs.
Asked how he felt now that the exit is confirmed, Arnaud called it both understandable and sad. He said the demands of elite rugby make it harder to bet on a player past the age of 30 the way a club would on someone aged 22 or 25. He described it as cruel but said clubs can no longer rely on experience the way they once did, with squad rotation now faster.
Why Racing 92
Arnaud said he was not surprised by the choice of Racing 92. Every player wants to be on the pitch, he said, and Ramos's priority after the World Cup was likely to secure regular playing time. He said he did not believe Ramos made the move purely to play fly-half or to contest one or two more major tournaments, adding that a role at centre or full-back could also suit him. Arnaud said he was certain Ramos would sign immediately for any club that promised him a regular starting position, regardless of which position that was.
No falling out with Toulouse, says supporters' chief
Arnaud rejected the idea that the move stemmed from any disagreement with Stade Toulousain. He acknowledged that the number 10 jersey at Toulouse is well covered, particularly with the return of Valentin Delpy, whom he described as the club's future. But he said a squad the size of Toulouse's needs every player, and that it remained to be seen how much playing time Ramos would get at club level after the World Cup.
He said periods when players are away on international duty can create more opportunities for younger players to emerge, and that experience counts heavily at scrum-half and fly-half, positions where what French rugby calls "la bouteille", or game know-how, matters more than age on the team sheet.
Background
Stade Toulousain, based in the southern French city of Toulouse, is one of the most decorated clubs in French and European rugby, and Ramos has won the French championship six times with the club. Racing 92 play in the Top 14 from their base in the Hauts-de-Seine department outside Paris.
