Racing Metro re-sign coaches Labit and Travers

Top 14 Rugby Club Racing-Metro have re-signed their coaches Laurent Labit and Laurent Travers contract through to the 2019 season.

Labit and Travers arrived at the cash-rich Parisian club in 2013 after leading Castres to the Top 14 title that year.

The duo announced in April that they’d ruled themselves out of the running to take over the French national team after this year’s Rugby World Cup.

Travers said in a statement: “This is good news because we (Travers and Labit) had the desire to continue working together.”

“We have the same vision with the president – to build to win things. I hope we will do everything to get there. And we are going to do everything to prove to the president that he wasn’t wrong to appoint us.”

Racing had a disappointing 2014/15 season, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Top 14 by Parisian rivals Stade Francais and were dumped out of the inaugural European Champions Cup by English Premiership winners Saracens at the same stage.

The club have also announced the signing of Italian international prop Martin Castrogiovanni on a one-year contract from European champions Toulon – with the option of a further year.

The 33-year old is one of eight new signings ahead of the 2015/16 season, including All Black star Dan Carter.

French internationals Yannick Nyanga and Remi Tales, Kiwi forwards Chris Masoe and Ben Tameifuna, Argentine international lock Manuel Carizza and Tongan back row Lisiate Fa’aoso also arrive in a major summer recruitment by the club.

Among those departing are Ireland fly-half Jonathan Sexton and Wales centre Jamie Roberts.