Owen Farrell has expressed his discomfort in informing Saracens of his decision to depart, a move confirmed by the Premiership club yesterday.
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From July 1, Farrell will join French outfit Racing 92, though he will not be eligible for England selection under the Rugby Football Union’s regulations concerning players based abroad.
At 32 years old, Farrell had previously announced his absence from the Guinness Six Nations to prioritise his mental health and that of his family.
“It’s tough leaving a place that has been my home since I was 14,” Farrell said speaking via the Saracens X account, formerly Twitter.
“It has been a difficult decision but it is an exciting one for our family. It has never been something we have thought about before, doing anything different.
“But for the first time ever we thought it would be good to go and experience something different and the time feels right.
“I was nervous about having some conversations, even bringing it up, because it’s never been thought about, let alone discussed before.
“But once we got into the conversations they were easy to have because of the calibre of the people here.
“The club have been fantastic with us throughout this year and it really counts for something when they care about nothing but the person.”
Farrell added: “I want to enjoy the rest of this year. We talked about it at the end of last year but we want to do as well as we possibly can.
“It has never been taken for granted playing for this club. People stay here for a long time, as a lot of us have.
“Going in to the back end of the year we are looking to make it the best we can. I can’t wait to enjoy that over the coming months.”
Six Nations Round 5 predictions (Super Computer):
Get ready for a thrilling weekend of Six Nations action, as the Sports4Cast algorithm unveils its predictions for the upcoming matches, including the highly anticipated clash between France and England in Lyon.
Wales vs Italy
When is the Wales versus Italy match happening? Wales will face Italy on Saturday, March 16th, with the game kicking off at 2:15 pm (GMT). This match precedes Ireland’s clash with Scotland at 4:45 pm and England’s encounter with France at 8:00 pm.
Where will the Wales versus Italy match take place? The match will be held at Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Wales suffered a narrow defeat to Scotland here in the opening round of fixtures before their loss to France last weekend.
How can I watch the Wales versus Italy match on TV? The match will be aired live on BBC One.
Who will be the referee? The referee for the match will be Mathieu Raynal from France.
Super computer prediction: Wales 34-16 Italy