“Nicky is firstly a great player, and secondly a great character to have in the changing room,” Parling told the club website., external
“With this in mind, we would have loved to have kept him for the next couple of years, but he has decided to take up a longer-term offer elsewhere.
“We know how committed he is right now, and we’ll continue to look forward to big performances from him for the rest of the season.”
Smith, who has been capped 59 times by Wales, is the second name to confirm they will be departing the club this summer following England lock George Martin, who has signed for Saracens in 2025-26.
However, seven players confirmed new deals with the club earlier this week and Parling said more are set to follow.
“We will reveal another group of retained players this week and are having advanced negotiations with targeted recruits which we will announce when things are finalised,” Parling said.
