Saints 'surprised and disappointed' as Ribbans opts for summer switch to Toulon

Links to the Top 14 giants first emerged last month, with Saints boss Phil Dowson insisting he was confident of keeping the England lock.

At the time, Dowson said: "He's good mates with Biggs (Dan Biggar, who left Saints to join Toulon earlier this season) - I don't know if that's one of the suggestions. But no, as far as I'm aware, there's nothing there.

"I had a chat with him last week and he seems pretty happy.

"He's a very frustrated man because, like me, he can see the quality we've got in our group and at the moment we're not necessarily realising that.

"He's one of the drivers and leaders in that space who I am desperate to make sure remains a Saintsman.

"I've seen those rumours but from my conversation with Dave, he's invested in the club and we're really happy with him.

"The way he's played in the past couple of games, it would come as no surprise to me that lots and lots of people would be interested in him.

"But at the same time, he's with us and we're very happy.

"I'm confident, hopeful and there's been nothing that's happened or been said by him or his agent to Paul Shields, our head of recruitment, to suggest he's unhappy.

"He's unhappy post-game when we lose because he's a competitive animal but in terms of how he's getting better and how the group is performing, there's enough hope there that we can kick on."

Ribbans, who joined Saints from South African outfit Western Province in January 2017, was contracted to the black, green and gold beyond this season but had a break clause in his contract that allows him to exit a year early.

And that is exactly what he will do, opting to make the move to France at the end of the current campaign.

The 27-year-old lock has played 115 times for Saints to date, starting 98 matches and scoring 17 tries so far.

“As a coaching group, we are very proud of the progress Dave has made during his time at Saints,” said Dowson in Saints' announcement on Friday morning.

“He arrived in Northampton as a 21-year-old without many Super Rugby appearances to his name.

"He will leave as a fully-fledged England international and a proven performer in the Gallagher Premiership, one of the most attritional and competitive leagues in the world.

“You always want to create an environment for players where they can work hard, thrive, win matches and be successful on the international stage. Sometimes, that means players become attractive propositions for other clubs.

“Dave leaves to pursue a playing opportunity in France next season.

"It’s disappointing to lose a player of his calibre, and we were surprised Dave wanted to leave the club at this time.

“But he is of course a professional, and will be putting all his efforts in his final months in Northampton to ensure the team is as successful as possible. We will wish him well after that.”