TRANSFER | Saracens confirm another huge departure

A popular character among the Saracens family, Skelton and his wife Kate will be greatly missed as the 28-year-old begins a new chapter in his career at La Rochelle.

Skelton initially moved to north London on a short-term deal from the Waratahs in December 2016 and impressed in helping the club to retain the Champions Cup.

After competing in the 2017 Super Rugby competition, the 6ft 8in lock agreed to join Sarries on a permanent basis ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

A lot of hard work and dedication followed as the lock made great strides in his game to play a big role in securing a fourth Premiership title for Mark McCall’s side.

A similarly transformative summer in 2018 led to more success for Skelton on the pitch with a domestic and European double crowning a fantastic season – the Australian was also named Saracens Players’ Player of the Year.

Skelton made the last of his 77 appearances for the Men in Black in the 24-13 victory at Allianz Park over Leicester Tigers and insists he will never forget his experiences as a Saracen.

“It’s pretty sad having to leave a great club and great environment,” said Skelton. “But I’m excited for the journey ahead.

“It’s been a special time here. From the first day you see how welcoming the boys are, you see first hand the culture that everyone’s talking about.

“I’m extremely grateful to the coaches and players for embracing myself and my wife and welcoming us to such a family.

“I came here wanting to improve and wanting to make an impact on the team and I think I’ve done that.

“I just want to thank all the coaches, the players and the support staff for investing in me and making my time here very special and a memory I’ll never forget.”

Glasgow Warriors' record try-scorer is to leave the club at the end of the current season. The 34-year-old has scored 54 tries in 123 appearances for the club over eight seasons.

If Wasps could sign the Canada international, who has already confirmed 'he'd like to play on for a few more years', he'd certainly guarantee tries.

If Wasps are looking for an experienced head to help bring on some of their young wide-men then Tomane is an obvious choice. The Wallaby, who is out of contract with Leinster in the summer, has been consistently brilliant for the Irish province and there will be no shortage of interest in securing the 30-year-old's services.

Wasps should be at the front of that queue.

He's still set to be a free agent in the summer with no confirmation, despite reports, that the speedster has signed a new deal with Sale Sharks. If Wasps can get him in, the dynamic 27-year-old would add some extra quality to their backline as long as he remains fit.

Absolutely a player to consider.

The 33-cap Wallaby is an international superstar who is available for Wasps to go sign on a short-term deal as soon as this is over.

This is due to Haylett-Petty, who was forced to take a huge paycut, being given the green light to take a leave of absence from Super Rugby and secure short term contracts in places such as England and the Japanese Top League before returning in time for the July 2021 Test schedule.

Would be an incredible signing.