Northampton sign South African centre Burger Odendaal

Northampton Saints have announced the signing of South African centre Burger Odendaal ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Odendaal made his club with provincial debut in 2013 for Blue Bulls with his Super Rugby debut for Bulls coming in 2015.

He made a switch for Japanese club Kubota Spears in 2018 and also had a short stint with Lions before joining Wasps in the 2022/23 season. However, with the Coventry based club entering administration, the 29-year-old joined Japanese side Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo and will head to Franklin's Gardens in the summer.

“The last couple of months have been a crazy time for my family and I, but I am very grateful and excited to have the opportunity to come to Northampton Saints,” he said.

“Having spoken to the coaches, I was really impressed by their honesty, and I enjoy the brand of rugby that Northampton plays.

“Throughout my career, I’ve maybe been seen just as someone who can act as a bit of a battering ram in the midfield, but I believe there is a lot more to my game than just taking the ball into contact – I like attacking to space and playing attacking rugby, so it’s exciting for me to join a team like Saints who play in that style already."

Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson is delighted with the signing of Odendaal.

“We had a good look at Burger even before he had signed for Wasps, so we know he is a quality player.

“We need guys in our midfield at Saints who can move the ball well with the way we want to play, so Burger’s all-round game was an important factor for us.”