Ludlam move to Toulon confirmed

Northampton Saints back row Lewis Ludlam's highly anticipated move to Toulon, first rumoured in The Rugby Paper's Blindside Column in early October, is set to be confirmed this week.

The 25-time capped England international will complete the move at the end of this season, joining ex-Northampton players Dan Biggar and Dave Ribbans as having made recent moves from Saints to the Provençale coast.

Along with Ribbans, he also becomes the fifth player in England's Rugby World Cup squad to head across the English channel with Jack Willis, Joe Marchant and Henry Arundell also plying their trade in the Top 14.

In the article confirming the news by The Telegraph, it is claimed that the lack of clarity of the RFU's newly-proposed “Hybrid Contract” model, the length of the deal offered by Toulon, and the salary he would receive in Southern France were crucial to making the decision.

Unless an unexpected rule change occurs, this will bring to a premature end the England career of a man who was tearful as he sung the English national anthem ahead of his debut in 2019.