'Irons in the fire' for Saints as they seek to replace Ribbans

The England lock informed Saints that he would be exercising a break clause in his contract so that he could exit a year early, meaning he will move to France ahead of the start of next season.

Saints had been planning for the 2023/24 campaign with Ribbans in their ranks, but they have now been left with a huge void that they need to fill.

And Dowson said: “Clearly we were gutted about Dave leaving and we were desperate to keep him, but obviously in the current climate that's tricky.

"We're looking to replace him clearly and we've got irons in the fire, we're talking and trying to make the best decision possible to give us the best chance next season.

"It's happened later than we would have anticipated but that gives us a challenge and an opportunity to replace him.”