IN PICTURES: Saints say farewell to departing players after Saracens clash

After Saints produced a dramatic comeback to beat Saracens 28-24, the traditional leavers ceremony took place, recognising those who will be moving on this summer.

Last week, the black, green and gold announced the names of the final 11 players who will be departing, taking the total to 17.

Those leaving are Juarno Augustus, Temo Mayanavanua, Burger Odendaal, Tarek Haffar, Tom Seabrook, Reuben Logan, Jake Garside, Charlie Savala, Callum Hunter-Hill, Ewan Baker, Nathan Langdon, Toby Cousins, Beltus Nonleh, Tom Dye, Louis Haley, Henry Nanka-Bruce and Kieran Perkins.

“This is always a bittersweet time of year for the squad,” said Saints boss Phil Dowson.

“Alongside the excitement for the end of the season, we will soon welcome in the new Academy cohort, whilst at the same time we know that a number of players will depart our playing group.

“We always speak about our connection as a team, and the importance of the contribution of the entire squad to the performances we put out on the pitch.

“All the players here at Saints want to pull on the black, green and gold jersey every weekend, and that is obviously not possible, but every member of the squad has had a Saints-first attitude throughout the season and has been completely committed to preparing the team to perform at the highest level.

“This group of departing players is very special; the coaches are very proud of them and thank them for all their efforts during their time as Saintsmen – we’ll wish them all the best for the future at the end of the season, but for now, we’ve got one Gallagher Premiership match and of course the Investec Champions Cup final to prepare for.”

Saints were desperate to make the final Gardens memory of the departing players a happy one last weekend.

And they did just that as Tarek Haffar’s last-gasp try sealed an incredible success against Saracens, lifting the mood ahead of the farewell ceremony.

"We’ve been inconsistent and the Gloucester and Tigers games here at home were real scars on our season, but every single time it’s happened we’ve recovered and responded,” Dowson said.

"I think we’re still a very good team, particularly at home, and it shows the value of playing in front of this crowd in this stadium.

"The fans don’t disappoint and I think back to any semi-finals or finals, I think back to Pretoria in December, where there were Saints shirts knocking around in South Africa, and the support of this club is exceptional.

"There are people travelling hours in their car every match day, with season ticket holders from the south coast, Lancashire and all over.

"It’s exceptional and we want to repay that loyalty.”