Foden: Saints switch

Related links

Teams

• Northampton
• Sale

Players

• Ben Foden

Also see

• Sky Sports experts
• Rugby on Sky
• Live scores

Ben Foden has agreed to join Northampton from Sale Sharks at the end of the season.

The 22-year-old had been strongly linked with a move to the Saints and admitted last week he was mulling over his future after becoming the third-choice scrum-half at Edgeley Park.

The combination of the arrival of Wales international Dwayne Peel, and the impressive form of England man Richard Wigglesworth has seen Foden utilised as a make-shift full-back for the Sharks.

The England under-21 international has now decided to link up with former Sale director of rugby Jim Mallinder at Franklin's Gardens - with the Saints on course for a brisk return to the Guinness Premiership.

Foden told the Northampton Chronicle: "Northampton has always been a good club and a good set-up and under Jim and Dorian (West) they will be going a long way.

Opportunity

"It is going to be a fresh start for me and a fantastic opportunity for me to make the scrum-half shirt my own. I'm ambitious to play for England in that position.

"To do that you need to be playing there for your club at the highest level and I firmly believe that in the next few years Northampton will be heading up the Premiership and be in the Heineken Cup.

"Sale will always be close to my heart but I've reached the point in my career where I need to move on.

"Being at Northampton will be an exciting challenge and is one that I'm looking forward to."

Dissapointed

Sale chief executive James Jennings and director of rugby Philippe Saint-Andre admit they are sorry to see Foden depart.

"We are naturally disappointed to lose a player of Ben's ability to another club," said Jennings.

"Ben sees his future playing in the scrum-half position whereas Philippe Saint-Andre and several other notables in the game believe that since he moved to full-back he may well have been involved in the Six Nations, had he not damaged his shoulder.

"This season Ben has played 10 games at full-back and scored four tries.

"In his last game for the Sharks at Worcester in November he was man of the match and scored the best try of the game."

Saint-Andre added: "I am disappointed that Ben will not be staying with us and I wish him well in his career.

"I have two international scrum-halves in Richard Wigglesworth and Dwayne Peel and was unable to promise Ben games at scrum-half which is his chosen position."