Uruguayan captain Manuel Leindekar’s playing future will continue to be in France. The big (2,05m, 117 kg) second-rower will be joining Grenoble next season from his current club, Oyonnax.
Leindekar is in his second season at Oyonnax. He has made eleven Pro D2 appearances thus far in the 2025-2026 season. He arrived at the club from Bayonne (Top 14). His time at Bayonne (2022-2024) came after he had previously also played for Oyonnax (2017-2022).
His early arrival win France as an academy player means that he is classified as a Joueur Issue des Filières de Formation JIFF player. It is thus advantageous for French clubs to have him on their roster.
The signing comes as the Pro D2 enters the late stages of the regular season. Teams are competing for playoff’s spaces. Grenoble are presently in 9th spot on 49 points. Oyonnax are 4th on 62 points while Brive are 6th on 29 points. The Top 6 will contest the playoffs.
The 28-year-old captained Uruguay to the Sudamérica 1 spot for Rugby World Cup 2027. Los Teros overcame South American opposition to book their spot in Australia 2027. It looms as being Leindekar’s third Rugby World Cup tournament. He featured in Japan 2019 and France 2023 and was involved in wins over Fiji and Namibia.