Former England full-back Nick Abendanon has signed a two-year deal with second-tier Vannes three months after saying he was retiring, the French club said late on Saturday. Abendanon, 33, played two Tests in 2007 spending six seasons with Clermont where he won a Top 14 title and the European Challenge Cup. In April the ex-Bath three-quarter said he would end his career because of a lack of contract offers due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. "The recruitment by the club of a renowned 15 by the name of Nick Abendanon, who discover on Breton ground with Vannes a new challenge to is level and his committment," Vannes posted on Facebook. The 2015 European Player of The Year heads to the ProD2 outfit who were eighth in the table when the campaign was declared over due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The French second-tier will also have Australia winger Henry Speight at Biarritz, Fiji fly-half Benjamin Volavola at Perpignan and ex-South Africa Sevens winger Dylan Sage at Montauban playing the competition next term. bk/gf/iwd