Dan Biggar: Wales captain ponders next chapter after Northampton departure

Northampton fly-half Dan Biggar made his Wales debut against Canada in 2008

Wales captain Dan Biggar admits he is in an unusual position as he considers the next step of his illustrious career.

Biggar has announced he will leave Northampton at the end of the 2022-23 season after five years with the Premiership club.

The 32-year-old joined from Ospreys in 2018 and will now depart when his current contract finishes in 2023.

With the World Cup looming in France next year, Biggar has raised the possibility of retiring from international rugby when he will be 34 and looking forward to an "adventure" for a couple of years

So nothing decided, nothing off the table. That is very much the message as Biggar consider what comes next.

"This is probably the first time in my career I've been properly into the last year of my contract and I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing," said Biggar.

"I'm open to anything. I'm not going to shut myself off to any offers if they come.

"I wouldn't rule out anything, but it has to be the right move for me and 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 yourself and from a rugby point of view.

"We'll see what comes and we'll go from there."

France or Japan?

Biggar admitted he is considering an adventure with his young family.

"I would like to have an adventure somewhere and take the family away and just live a little bit," Biggar told the Scrum V podcast.

"When I finish in two or three years I want to be able to say I travelled a bit of the world or experienced a different culture.

"Moving here (Northampton) has opened my eyes just to how people and clubs do things differently.

"It was a big call initially leaving Ospreys after 10 years, but coming here now for five years widened my horizons.

"It is easier to go somewhere else then because the first move is always the hardest.

"Wherever I end up after this will be easier because of the experience I have had here in meeting new people.

"We know we are going to probably end up living in Wales and have a family house there where the kids will grow up.

"But I want to say at the end of my career after living in Northampton for five years, I have enjoyed living in X, Y or Z for two years or whatever."

France or Japan would be the obvious choices in world rugby.

"They both come with pros and cons," said Biggar.

"The seasons in France tend to run a little bit longer with lots of tough, attritional games and lots of travelling.

"But also you're closer if you need to get back to Wales. It's a lot easier than if you're in Tokyo or wherever.

"The way of the world now is you can stay in touch with anyone. I loved Japan when I was out there for the 2019 World Cup.

"I'm jealous of players who have moved around to a few different places, played in leagues in different countries, different cultures.

"When they sit back and finish their careers, to say that you've lived in possibly France, possibly Tokyo or wherever, that's a cool thing to say.

While he might not be in an immediate rush to come back to Wales after spending 10 seasons with Ospreys, it's not completely off the table as he weighed up the advantages.

"Being closer to home will be a big thing with familiarity in terms of knowing players and coaches in the set-up in Wales," added Biggar.

"I think it [moving to Wales] would be handy from a family point of view, but we've also spoken as a family about having that adventure.

"The situation in the English league at the minute isn't at its healthiest and I know things aren't as good as they could be in Wales either."

Wales captain Dan Biggar has been with Northampton Saints since 2018

World Cup aim

Biggar, 33 on 16 October, is looking forward for another few seasons before retirement with the World Cup in France looming next year.

He has not officially announced he will finish international rugby after the global tournament, but has admitted he is considering it.

"I have always said you have done well if you get to 35 and anything else is a bonus," said Biggar.

"I have always said I want to be in control of my own retirement, I am not going to say that is going to happen, but that's the ideal scenario.

"In professional sport very few people get the chance to call time on their own careers whether it is injury, selection or whatever.

"I don't want to be one of those people who are just hanging around. At the moment I still feel as if I can contribute.

"The big aim is to get to a World Cup from an international point of view.

"The World Cup will be a bit of an end of a cycle, depending on what coaches are going to want to do or bring younger guys in and start a new cycle."

Biggar says he has not spoken with Wales head coach Wayne Pivac about retiring after the World Cup and stresses no final decision had been made.

"I've said to Wayne the aim is to get to the World Cup and see where we are after that," added Biggar.

"That's been my focus internationally for the last couple of years."

Saying goodbye

Biggar admits he will miss Northampton.

"I would have love to have stayed here, but it is probably the right time for both parties," he said.

"That is in terms of the way the league is looking with the salary cap and having a core group of young English players here who have been magnificent over the last couple of years.

"They will be out of contract over the end of this season or next and the club should be prioritising those guys over non-English qualified players like myself.

"It is sad because I have enjoyed it and been so grateful. It has been the best four or five years of my career. I feel as if I have improved as a player.

"We get challenged every day and the league has been great for me.

"It has been tough, challenging and unforgiving and it has benefitted me playing these top teams every week, knowing you have to be right on it and if not, you will be found out.

"I have loved it."