Courtney Lawes will leave Northampton Saints at the end of the 2023/24 season to join French side CA Brive; Lawes recently retired from the international game; he has played 17 seasons at the Saints after making his debut in 2007
Friday 1 March 2024 09:49, UK
Northampton Saints have announced Courtney Lawes will leave the club at the end of the 2023/24 season to join French side CA Brive.
Lawes has played 17 seasons at Northampton Saints and has 274 appearances, while also earning 105 Test caps for England prior to his international retirement, and a further five for the British & Irish Lions.
The 35-year-old made his debut for the side back in 2007 and while he "leaves with a heavy heart" has decided to move for his "family's long-term future".
"I want to make it clear that I really would have liked to end my career as a one-club man, and Saints did absolutely everything they possibly could to make that happen - our conversations were all very positive," said Lawes.
"But, first and foremost, I have to make sure that my family and I are in the best position possible for my retirement, which will be in the next couple of years.
"This is likely to be the last contract I'll ever sign, and the offer I have received to play overseas will be transformational for my family, so there was no way I could turn it down and I took the decision to move away from Northampton.
"I'm so grateful for everything that Saints has given to me. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to play so long for my hometown, and the supporters have been amazing through it all - in both the good times and the bad.
"I've been through it all with Saints and I just hope that my efforts on the pitch have reflected my appreciation for the Club. It's obviously incredibly sad for me to be leaving, but ultimately, I know I am leaving Saints in really good hands on and off the pitch with the players, coaches and staff we have.
"I know that they will continue to push on and I hope they can become the best side in England for an extended period of time. I'll always be a massive supporter of Northampton Saints.
"I've always given everything I have to the club, and that's only going to continue for these final few months in Black, Green and Gold. We've got a brilliant opportunity to go and do something amazing this season, and it would be fantastic to leave on the high note of winning a trophy, so I'll be giving it my all to achieve that."
Northampton's chief executive Mark Darbon added: "Clearly, it's very disappointing that Courtney has decided to leave Saints, but it is a decision he has made with the long-term future of his family in mind, which we fully understand and respect.
"We obviously wanted Courtney to stay and we made him a significantly increased offer to remain part of our squad. But given this will probably be his last-ever contract, and the incredible service he has already given to the club over the last 17 seasons, no one can begrudge him accepting a very substantial alternative offer to finish his career overseas.
"Given the financial challenges that we, like all Premiership clubs, are still navigating, ultimately we just could not compete with the transformational scale of the offer Courtney has received, without impacting our investment into the wider squad and the club more broadly.
"We will miss him around the Gardens, but he departs on great terms with our very best wishes for the future, and we hope to send him off in style at the end of this season."
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