bˈɔːɹn ɪnðə sˈɪɾi ʌv ɪkˈaɪɹoʊlz, sˈʌbɜːb ʌvðə sˈaʊθ ʌv ɡɹˈɛnoʊbəl ˈaɪsɚ, klˈɜːk fˈɜːst plˈeɪd ɹˈʌɡbi æɾ ˌɛfsˈiː ɡɹˈɛnoʊbəl, hˈɛlpɪŋ ðˌɛm ɹˈiːtʃ ðə tˈɑːp sˈɪkstiːn bᵻfˌoːɹ mˈuːvɪŋ tə tuːlˈuːz ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd tˈuː, wˌɛɹ hiː plˈeɪd ʌntˈɪl tˈuː θˈaʊzənd sˈɪkstiːn.
Born in the city of Échirolles, suburb of the south of Grenoble (Isère), Clerc first played rugby at FC Grenoble, helping them reach the Top 16 before moving to Toulouse in 2002, where he played until 2016.