The Welsh skipper has underlined his commitment to battle for a trip to a third World Cup in France with Wayne Pivac’s side in 2023, but is considering “an adventure” for the remainder of his club career once he leaves Franklin’s Gardens.
Saints have confirmed the 32-year-old Biggar will leave the English Premiership club at the end of his contract in June. He wants to continue playing next season and says he won’t be ruling anything in or out as he scouts around for a new club.
“I will have had five absolutely brilliant years at Northampton when my contract ends and I’m not going to shut myself off to any offers if they come. I’m open to anything,” said Biggar.
“I wouldn’t rule out anything, it has to be the right move for me and also my young family. I’ve got two boys and a partner to think about, so it’s not quite as simple as making the right decision solely for myself and from a rugby point of view.
Dan Biggar with his son, James
“We’ll see what comes and we’ll go from there. It would be really nice to have an experience and I’m quite open to seeing different parts of the world, to experience different cultures. I’m not saying that’s definite because I’ve got to get an offer from somewhere first.
“There’s nothing on the table right now, although one of the boys who coaches a semi-pro team in the area has just offered a couple of hundred quid a week and a few beers in the bar afterwards. So that’s my best offer right now and I’m waiting for someone to top it!”
Biggar, who made the first of his 103 appearances for Wales against Canada while still a teenager in 2008, played all his early rugby at the Ospreys before switching to Northampton. He isn’t ruling out a move back to a Welsh region but admits he might look further afield.
“Moving back to Wales would be handy from a family point of view, but we’ve also spoken as a family about having an adventure. We know where we’re going to settle eventually when rugby finishes, and that’s back home,” he added.
“If and when offers come, they’ll be discussed, pros and cons will be weighed up and it’ll have to be the right move for me and my family.
“Japan and France both come with pros and cons. The seasons in France tend to run a little bit longer with lots of tough, attritional games and lots of travelling.
“But also, I suppose, you’re closer if you need to get back to Wales. It’s a lot easier than if you’re in Tokyo or wherever.
“I loved Japan when I was out there for the 2019 World Cup. I think the important thing to say is that in 2019 we were staying in the best hotels, we were having food cooked for us four times a day and we were having buses and translators.
“So, I’m not under any illusions that if we were to go there it wouldn’t be as easy as that. We’d have to do all the washing, food shopping, find schools and all those bits and pieces.
“But that’s all part of it. I’m really jealous of players who have moved around to a few different places, played in leagues in different countries and experienced different cultures.
“When players sit back at the end of their careers and say they’ve lived in possibly France, possibly Tokyo or wherever, it’s a really cool thing to say – and it’s exciting as well.
“It really is quite exciting to see what the future holds. I really don’t know what’s going to go on. I’m quite excited to see if and what arrives.”
His immediate future is trying to end the season on a high with both Northampton and Wales before heading to France for a third successive World Cup. He has 10 games at the tournament already under his belt from 2015 and 2019 and has confirmed with Pivac that is has his sights set firmly on making it into his squad for next year.
“I’ve told Wayne the aim is to get to the World Cup and see where we are after that. That’s been my focus internationally for the last couple of years, to get to the World Cup and assess where we are from there,” said Biggar.
Wayne Pivac and Dan Biggar
“The end of a World Cup cycle is a good time to be thinking about changes. You never know what the coaches are thinking – there may be new coaches and they may want to bring in new players.
“The World Cup is a good aim and depending how that pans out, and what the offers are, I’ll possibly be looking at something around that World Cup time – if I can get there!
“It’s also about trying to go out on my own terms. You look at a lot of sports people, it’s very rare that you get to call time yourself, whether that’s through injury, form or someone pushing you out the door.
“That is something that appeals to me, being able to be satisfied with that decision rather than it be someone else’s.”
