Chris Jack has labelled northern hemisphere rugby as "easy" after leaving Saracens.

The New Zealand forward has left the Men in Black after two years at Vicarage Road. The 30-year-old has agreed to sign up with the New Zealand Rugby Union after a short-term deal at Western Province.

Jack struggled to make a major impact at Sarries after his high profile move in 2007 and his expensive salary was believed to be the main reason behind his release at the end of last season.

But Jack took a swipe at the English game and claimed he was hoping his return would help win a recall for the All Blacks.

Jack said: "I'm not just going back to muck around. If I wanted to muck around I would have stayed up there. I want to come back and I want to play well.

"If I wanted to play easy rugby I would have stayed up in the northern hemisphere. I want to play good rugby again, I want to play challenging rugby and I want to enjoy it.

"The (English) premiership gets a bit tough after a while of the same sort of stuff. It's good to play some rugby that's enjoyable."