Australia international Lukhan Salakaia-Loto to join Northampton Saints ahead of 2022/23 season

Northampton Saints have announced that Australia international lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto will join the Gallagher Premiership ahead of the 2022/23 season.

Having started his career with Randwick in 2014 and joined Queensland Reds in 2015 during which he went on to sign his first professional contract.

He went on to make 64 appearances for Reds spanned over seven years and represented Australia Under 20 in the 2015 and 2016 World Rugby Under-20s Championships.

The 6ft 6in lock made his Test debut for Australia against South Africa in 2017 and has made 30 Test appearances for the Wallabies including five appearances in the 2019 World Cup.

“I am incredibly excited to be signing for Northampton Saints, a prestigious Club which is known around the world and boasts a long history of success,” Salakaia-Loto said.

“I’ve heard that Franklin’s Gardens is an amazing place to play rugby, and for a long time now, I have wanted to test myself in the Northern Hemisphere.

“The Northampton squad is already filled with talent and I’m just looking forward to getting over to England later this year to try to develop my game, and help the team win some trophies.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for me and my family, so I can’t wait to pull on a Black, Green and Gold jersey for the first time.”

Northampton Saints are positioned ninth in the Gallagher Premiership table with eight wins from 16 games.