Northampton confirm exit of 'unlucky' Burger Odendaal

Northampton Saints have confirmed that centre Burger Odendaal will leave the club at the end of the season, with a potential move to Japan recently reported by RugbyPass. 

The 32-year-old former Wasps centre has spent the last two seasons at Franklin’s Gardens, but has been dogged by injury in that time, limiting him to only 17 matches.

The Bloemfontein native arrived at the club injured in 2023, which delayed his debut by a couple of months, but he was able to find his form an fitness in time to help the Saints win the Gallagher Premiership, where he started in the final against Bath. A knee injury at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium sidelined him for much of this season, however.

Appearances in the Investec Champions Cup knockout fixtures against Castres and ASM Clermont Auvergne in April saw the South African handed the captaincy for their following fixture against Newcastle Falcons, where he broke his arm to bring an early end to his season. He has joked that he will end his tenure at the club with a 100 percent win record.

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“I am so grateful for the opportunity and the privilege I have had to pay for the club,” he said.

“Looking over the last few years, it was a rollercoaster with all the injuries. I really had to dig deep mentally. If I let myself down mentally, I think I would’ve been in a much different spot.

“I am proud of the way I went about all my rehab, trying to do as much as possible and go as hard as possible to get myself back onto the pitch. I spent loads of time with the S&C staff and we got really close.

“They always say play the game as if it is your last game, so if you look back at that, my last game I was captain of Saints and we won at Newcastle away. So, I am stepping away from Saints with a 100% win record as captain – that is hopefully one for the record books.”

Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson added: “Burger has been a legend, and he has just been unlucky.

“From a performance point of view, Burger has been excellent. He has added some experience and maturity to our group, which we needed.

“He has worked his socks off to come back from injury and training regardless. It has been so good to get him back and it is so disappointing and frustrating and unfair that he has had this arm break towards the back end of the season, because he is a pivotal player in our group and has been great for the environment.

“He is the sort of player that just puts his head down and grafts, and does it in the right way.”

“Burger is a great example to the younger players in how to approach that ACL rehab. The physios and S&C couldn’t have been more positive, and it spoke volumes about him as a character. We are lucky to have had him in our environment and we are thankful for everything he brought to the club.”