Northampton Saints have completed the signing of Ben Franks from London Irish, according to BBC Sport.
The deal comes into effect at the end of the current season, and Franks is a player who can play on both sides of the scrum and comes with huge experience around world rugby.
He was also part of New Zealand’s two World Cup winning campaigns in 2011 and 2015 where he won 47 caps in total.
The club have signed Franks due to the fact that they are expecting to lose Kieran Brookes at the end of the current season.
The Saints have struggled so far this campaign and lie in 10th place in the Aviva Premiership with hopes of a top four finish all but gone.
Franks has been with the Irish for the last three seasons but the club look set to be relegated to the Championship this season after some poor results.
Franks spoke following the news of his move:
“I’m delighted to be joining Saints at such an exciting junction for the club,”
“Linking up with Chris once again was of course a big factor in this decision,”
“I remember him as a gifted and hardworking coach.”
