The former England captain Courtney Lawes is returning to the Prem at the end of the season after two years at French club Brive.

The 37-year-old retired from international rugby after the 2023 Rugby World Cup and made the move to France after winning the 2023-24 Premiership title with Northampton Saints.

It has not yet been confirmed which English club he will sign for, but his return would make him eligible again for international duty. Brive have said the club wished the flanker would finish out his career with them but “understands Lawes’ desire to seize a new challenge”.

Brive’s president, Thierry Blandinières, said: “We are very proud to say that Courtney Lawes will have been a Brive player for two seasons. He arrived here with humility and ambition and has shown the full extent of his talent since his first day in Brive. He gave everything for the club and he will continue to give everything until the end of his adventure in black and white.”

In a statement the club added: “[We] are very proud to have had within [our] ranks one of the legends of world rugby and one of the best back-row forwards of his generation.”

Lawes spent 17 years at Saints, winning two Premiership titles and two Challenge Cup trophies. He won 105 caps and three Six Nations titles for England. Lawes also represented his country in four Rugby World Cups, finishing runners up in the 2019 tournament and third in 2023.

Lawes said: “I’m having an experience in Brive that I’ll never forget, both on and off the pitch. I’m going to give it my all until the end of the season to finish this adventure with CAB [Club Athlétique Brive] in the best possible way. My family and I have been very warmly welcomed in Corrèze and we will always have Brive at heart.”