Ribbans ready to end Saints stay on a high after switch to Toulon is announced

Ribbans, who was contracted for next season, has exercised a break clause that will allow him to exit Northampton when the current campaign ends.

It will bring the curtain down on a successful six-year stay for the England lock, who made the move to Saints from Western Province in 2017.

He was was named players’ player of the season for the 2019/20 campaign and made it a double success a year later, claiming both the players’ player and supporters’ player of the season gongs.

After several inclusions in England training squads, international honours finally followed for Ribbans last November, when he earned three caps for the Red Rose in the autumn internationals, against Japan, New Zealand and South Africa.

He is currently with England for the Six Nations but he still has plenty of work to do at Saints before making the move abroad.

“I love playing for Saints and living in Northamptonshire, so this was not an easy decision for me to make," Ribbans said.

"I’m extremely grateful to the club’s supporters for embracing me as they have in my time here, and to the coaches and support staff for everything they have done to improve me as a player.

“I’ll be sad to leave some great friends and team-mates, but I’ll be giving everything I’ve got to make sure we finish the season as strongly as possible.”