Zurich Premiership side Saracens have re-signed lock forward Craig Yandell, three years after he left Watford for Narbonne.

The 28-year-old, who spent four years at Saracens before his switch to France, is a former England Under-21 international and has agreed a two-season deal with the club.

He was also a member of the successful 1998 side which won the Tetley's Bitter Cup and is anxious to help bring some silverware back to Vicarage Road.

"I'm really excited about coming back to Saracens," he said.

"I really enjoyed my last stint at the club and have very fond memories of playing at Watford. During my last two seasons at the club, we won the Tetley's Bitter Cup and came runners-up in the league and then finished third the year after.

"By the looks of the squad and the coaching set-up, this time round we should be pushing to get ourselves back into contention."

Yandell believes he is returning from his sojourn on the Continent a better player, capable of challenging for a first team place and handling the rigours of Premiership rugby.

"Playing in France has certainly helped my game," he said.

"There is a lot of emphasis on forward play and it's very physical. There's also a lot more of an aggressive edge which I've had to get used to and think that I have really improved my scrummaging."

Saracens coach Wayne Shelford, who has already signed Andy Goode from Leicester this summer, is anxious to develop Yandell into a leader on the field rather than just an aggressive scrummager.

"He is a good ballwinner whose defence is sound, and we'll work with him to make him a more dominant personality on the field," he said.

Yandell spent one season with Narbonne before switching to La Rochelle, where he spent two seasons before deciding on a move back to the English game.