Moving on: Soane Tonga'uiha
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Northampton Saints prop Soane Tonga'uiha has confirmed that he will leave the club at the end of the season.
A popular figure at Franklin's Gardens, Tonga'uiha been a mainstay of the Northampton side since his arrival in 2006, making 206 appearances so far and helping the side to promotion back into the Premiership all the way to the Heineken Cup final in 2011.
The Tongan prop is now expected to link up with Racing Métro in Paris, although the move is yet to be confirmed.
"Soane has been a big part of the squad throughout my time at the Saints," said Saints boss Jim Mallinder to the Northampton Chronicle and Echo.
"He has shown consistency and durability in one of the toughest positions on the field and will go down as one of the best props to play for the club, not least with 200-plus appearances under his belt.
"Soane is moving on as an individual and we will move on as a club, and now that the speculation regarding his future is over we can all put our focus on ending the season in style and getting into the Premiership play-offs.
"We wish Soane, Lucy and the rest of the Tonga'uiha family all the very best for the future."
"My seven years at Northampton have been very happy ones," said Tonga'uiha.
"I have been with the club through relegation to promotion to the Heineken Cup final and it is a journey that has made Saints a part of me.
"Northampton is a fantastic club, with excellent coaches, management, staff and facilities. I am surrounded by a great bunch of talented lads who I believe with the addition of incoming players (not to mention the huge talent within the Academy) will go on to win plenty of silverware.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have supported me during my seven years here. In particular, my family and I have been overwhelmed by the generosity, kindness and support we have been shown by the people of Northampton during my testimonial year.
"This generosity has enabled me to donate £20,000 to charitable causes as well as to ship a 40ft container filled with donations to my old school, Vaini Primary in Tonga. This would not have been possible without the help of my dedicated testimonial committee led by Jon Evans and Darren Briers, and also the faithful fans of Northampton Saints.
"Finally, this is not a goodbye for the time being as there is still plenty to play for. Saints are back in the top four and this season is far from over. I hope to leave this club in a high and I still believe we have a team that can go all the way."
Comments
ArmchairGeneral says...
This might be good news this season. He will want to go out well. And well done JimM. Sometimes handling departures has not been Jim's strongest point but this is well managed and good to see... Or is he too brushing up on his French?!
Posted 12:51 15th March 2013
5Lock4ward says...
Hopefully Samu Manoa will be hot on his heels out the door to a team that will let him play international rugby.
Posted 10:54 15th March 2013
bullitt says...
Bugger.
Posted 20:31 14th March 2013