Ben Foden is to bring down the curtain on his decade-long association with Northampton to commence a “new chapter” abroad. The former England full-back, 32, is set to sign off on Saturday by making his 250th appearance for the Saints when they play Worcester Warriors at Franklin’s Gardens.
Having started in professional rugby as a scrum-half at Sale, Foden developed into an attacking full-back good enough to win 34 England caps between 2009 and 2013. He scored seven Test tries, won league titles with Sale in 2006 and Northampton in 2014 and also scored a try in the 2011 European Cup final when the Saints were spectacularly overhauled by Leinster in Cardiff.
His innate understanding with his former team-mate Chris Ashton was particularly fruitful and in 2014 Foden became only the second player to score tries in consecutive Premiership finals. He played 22 games at full-back during that double-winning season as Northampton won the Challenge Cup and Premiership.
“Fodes has been a remarkable player for both Northampton Saints and England,” said the interim head coach, Alan Dickens. “We’ll miss having him around Franklin’s Gardens, both in terms of what he offers on the pitch as a player and a leader, but also as a character in the dressing room.”
The Saints’ forwards coach, Dorian West, added: “Fodes has given the supporters at Saints many happy memories and I’m sure they will repay him with a huge ovation on Saturday. He has the respect of everyone here and we wish him all the best for his next step.”
Foden will lead out the Saints against Worcester but will not be walking away from the sport. His next move is not yet finalised but a prominent Major League Rugby franchise in the United States is understood to be interested in signing him.
One of his former Northampton team-mates, Alex Corbisiero, is working as a rugby analyst for the American broadcaster NBC but Foden is not tempted to join him and hang up his boots just yet. “I still feel fit and hungry for competitive rugby and, while now is the time to move on, I am really excited for what the next chapter holds in store for me.”