Saints sign May

"The experience my wife and I have had in Toulon was fantastic but the opportunity to join Northampton was too good to turn down," said May.

"Everything seems to point to Northampton being the best place for us.

"I think I'm coming back a better player. I've had to learn how the game differs and it's provided me with a bit more experience as to how games can be played out.

"Seeing Northampton playing a running game is exciting for me and it will be enjoyable to be a part of a club that likes to play rugby the right way."

May made three appearances in the Heineken Cup this season helping his side to a quarter-final spot in their first year in the competition and will bring a lot of experience to the squad according to Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder.

"Tom has proved his quality in the Premiership and the Top 14," he said.

"He will bring plenty of things to our squad in terms of both his experience and talent in a variety of positions across the back line."

"As we build towards another challenging season this will be very useful for us."