Peel has been consistently linked with a move away from Edgeley Park after slipping down the pecking order for his country, with coach Warren Gatland preferring his Test players to ply their trade on home soil.

"We want to keep him here and I'd be very, very surprised if he plays for the Scarlets next season," Jones told BBC Sport Wales. "I get asked every day about Dwayne and what is his future. It's a bit sad really because I've been asked that since he got here.

"Our relationship's fantastic, it always has been. But ultimately I'm a bit fed up of it all, to be honest with you, managing one guy 15% of my time. And it's not Dwayne, it's media-driven. I think we have a very good chance of keeping him here, but he has lots of options. Dwayne could take his pick, I'm sure, at the moment."

Judicial officer Jeff Blackett had adjourned Attoub's hearing on December 18, imposing an immediate interim suspension on the player, who was reported by match citing commissioner Tony Lanaway. The hearing was reconvened earlier this week, when Blackett heard evidence from both Attoub and Ferris, but any sanction will not be decided until a later date.

Attoub's Stade team-mate Julien Dupuy was given a 24-week suspension - reduced to 23 weeks on appeal - for a gouging offence on Ferris in the same match at Ravenhill.

Van Heerden won 14 caps for South Africa before joining Sarries and came off the bench in the 2007 Rugby World Cup final as the Springboks claimed the title.

"This is purely a personal decision," he said. "From a rugby point of view I have never been happier at any stage of my career. Saracens is now a fantastically well-run club with a very bright future, and I wish I was able to stay and be a part of that future. For the next five months, I am 100% focused on ensuring we finish this special season with at least one trophy."

Jones will now join Championship side Exeter Chiefs having failed to secure regular first-team rugby with Edinburgh.

"Steve is a player that I spent a lot of time tracking at the end of last season," Exeter coach Rob Baxter said. "We had a meeting at Sandy Park, but ultimately Steve decided to move from Newcastle to Edinburgh in the hope of furthering his ambitions to play for Scotland, as at the time Steve had just returned from a successful tour with Scotland 'A'."