Wales fly-half Dan Biggar has left club side Northampton Saints with immediate effect in order to sign a lucrative deal with Top 14 giants Toulon.
The veteran playmaker, who has taken his game to new levels in recent years, makes the surprise switch not halfway through the 2022/23 campaign.
However, with Northampton having snapped up up-and-coming fly-half Fin Smith from Worcester last month, the possible move gained traction.
Difficult decision for Biggar
Biggar had already announced he was leaving the Franklin’s Gardens outfit at the end of the campaign before Friday’s news was broken by the Saints.
The 33-year-old, who’s currently injured and unavailable for Wales ahead their Autumn Nations Series opener with New Zealand, explained his move.
“As I said on the initial announcement of my departure, it has been a privilege to play for Northampton Saints and I have loved every minute of my time at the club,” he said.
“I know this is a squad which can challenge for major honours this season, so this has been a very difficult decision for me to make. I move on with a heavy heart and I am grateful to the club for their understanding throughout the process.
“I never envisaged leaving Saints midway through the season, but this opportunity came around very quickly, and I made my decision with a long-term view in mind for my family.
“Saints is a club which is full of great people from top to bottom, and I wish I could have played more in Black, Green and Gold over the last four seasons. I’ll really miss playing at Franklin’s Gardens and I’ll certainly be back to support the lads when I am able.”
Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson was full of praise for the British & Irish Lions star as he says goodbye to an “exceptional servant”.
Will be missed by Saints
“Dan has been an exceptional servant to Northampton Saints; he is a player of proven international quality but has also been a leader within our group and he will be missed by the squad, staff and supporters here,” he said.
“While we’re losing him earlier than expected, we respect that he has been presented with a unique long-term opportunity in France and has made a decision with the future of his family in mind, so we did not want to stand in his way.
“Dan is a great man, and we wish him and his family the very best for the future.”
Saints’ chief executive, Mark Darbon, added: “Given the circumstances – with Dan’s contract ending at the end of the season, his availability for the rest of the current campaign, the multi-year offer to Dan from Toulon which was contingent on him moving immediately, and the quality of the up-and-coming fly-halves already at the club – we wanted to be pragmatic when Dan approached us.
“Dan’s not just a world-class player, he’s also one of the nicest blokes you could meet. He’s someone who always did everything he could to help the club, on and off the pitch. So, we’ll miss him, but he departs with our very best wishes.”
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