Loose forward to return to native South Africa in the summer

Saracens have announced loose forward Schalk Burger will leave the Gallagher Premiership club at the end of the season.

The South Africa international joined the north Londoners in the summer of 2016 and has since gone on to win a European Champions Cup and an Aviva Premiership title.

The 35-year-old will return to Cape Town at the end of the current campaign and says he will always look back fondly on his time at Allianz Park.

The 2007 World Cup winner told the club website: “I’m going to leave Saracens a happy man.

“I’ve made great friends here and that’s pretty much the standout feature.

“The way we go about enjoying rugby, enjoying spending time together, the trips I’ve had with the team and we’ve won a couple of trophies since I’ve been here too, so I have a lot of great memories.

“In rugby, you go through phases where you play well and don’t play well, but at the end of the day that’s the by-product.

“What you care about is the quality of the human and the quality of time we’ve spent together as a club.

“I’d like to say a massive thank you to everyone for taking not only me in, but my whole family.

“We’ve had a lot of success on the field, but what stands out is the friendships I’ve made off the field, so a massive thank you to everyone involved.”

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall added: “It has been a privilege to have Schalk at Saracens.

“He embodies many of the values we hold dear: competing in every moment, being a great teammate, leaving the club in a better place than you found it.

“We have all learned a great deal from one of rugby’s truly great players. We wish him and his family every success in the future.”