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Northampton Saints

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Northampton Saints
Full nameNorthampton Rugby Football Club
UnionEast Midlands RFU
Nickname(s)Saints, Jimmies[1]
Founded1880; 144 years ago (1880)
LocationNorthampton, England
RegionNorthamptonshire
Ground(s)cinch stadium at Franklin's Gardens (Capacity: 15,249[2])
ChairmanJohn White
CEOJulia Chapman
Director of RugbyPhil Dowson
Captain(s)George Furbank
Most appearancesRon Jacobs (470)
Top scorerPaul Grayson (2,786)[3]
Most triesTeddy Cook (219)
League(s)Premiership Rugby
2023–241st (Champions)
1st kit
2nd kit
Official website
www.northamptonsaints.co.uk

Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) is a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby.

They were formed in 1880 as "Northampton St. James", which gave them the nickname Saints from the 1880s. The team play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, in the west of the town, which has a capacity of 15,250 and play in black, green, and gold colours.

At the conclusion of the 2023–24 Premiership Rugby season, Saints finished 1st which entitled them to compete in the 2024–25 European Rugby Champions Cup. The current director of rugby is Phil Dowson, who was promoted to director of rugby in the summer of 2022.[4]

Northampton has won seven major titles. They were European Champions in 2000, English Champions in 2014 and Premiership Champions in 2023–24. They have also won the secondary European Rugby Challenge Cup twice, in 2009 and 2014, the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2010, and, most recently, the inaugural Premiership Rugby Cup in 2019. They have also won the Second Division title three times; in 1990, 1996 and 2008.

Their biggest rivals are Leicester Tigers. "The East Midlands Derby" is one of the fiercest rivalries in English rugby union.[5][6]

History

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Early years

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The club was established in 1880 under the original title of Northampton St. James (Saints) by Rev Samuel Wathen Wigg, a local clergyman and curate of St. James Church who was a resident of the nearby village of Milton Malsor in the house known as "Mortimers".[7] This is how the club got its two nicknames of "The Saints" or "Jimmies". His original concept was to promote "order" to his younger parish members by creating a youth rugby club, with the philosophy of a "hooligan sport designed to turn them into gentlemen".

It was not long before Northampton had one of the major rugby union teams in the country. Twenty years after its establishment, the first Saints player, local farmer Harry Weston, was awarded an England cap.

The Northampton Saints posing with The Original All Blacks in 1905

As the club progressed through the early years of the 20th century one player dominated this era for the club, Edgar Mobbs. Edgar was a hero throughout the town. He was the first Northampton player to captain his country but is best remembered for his exploits in World War I. After initially being turned down as too old, Edgar raised his own "Sportsman's" battalion otherwise known as Mobbs Own. Edgar was killed in battle, leading his battalion over the top by kicking a rugby ball[clarification needed] into no man's land on 29 July 1917 attacking a machine gun post and his body was never found. The club arranged the Mobbs Memorial Match as a tribute. It had been played every year since 1921 and the fixture took place between the Barbarians and East Midlands at Franklin's Gardens until the Barbarians withdrew their support in 2008.[8] The match was saved by the efforts of former Northampton player Bob Taylor and former Northampton chairman Keith Barwell, and since 2012 it has been played alternately at Bedford Blues' Goldington Road ground and Franklin's Gardens, with the host club facing the British Army team.[9] From 2024 the match will be played as a preseason game between Bedford and Northampton.[10]

In this postwar period the Saints continued to grow, and they started to produce some of the best players in England, some of whom went on to captain their country. They were one of the driving forces in the English game for the next 60 years producing players such as Butterfield, Jeeps, Longland, White and Jacobs but hard times were ahead.

The club failed to keep pace with movements within the game and top players were no longer attracted to the Gardens, where a 'them and us' mentality had built up between the players and those in charge of the club. Some former players formed their own task force which swept out the old brigade in the 1988 'Saints Revolution' and put a plan into action which would put the club back at the top of the English game.

Barrie Corless, as director of rugby, set about restructuring the club and soon the Saints were back on the way up, helped by the signing of All Blacks legend Buck Shelford.

In 1990, Northampton Rugby Union Football Club gained promotion to the First Division and the following year made their first trip to Twickenham to play Quins in the Pilkington Cup Final. They lost in extra time but the foundations of a good Saints line-up were beginning to show in the following few seasons.

Tim Rodber and Ian Hunter forced their way into the England setup while younger players such as Paul Grayson, Matt Dawson and Nick Beal came through the ranks and would follow the duo into the England senior team.

In 1994, Ian McGeechan took over as director of rugby, and although the club were relegated in his first season, they returned in style the next season, winning every single game of their campaign and averaging 50 points a game. This season is referred to by many fans of the club as the "Demolition Tour of Division Two".

Professional era

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Bruce Reihana

In 1995, rugby union turned professional and the club was taken over by local businessman Keith Barwell.

In 1999, Saints came runners-up in the Allied Dunbar Premiership, their league campaign climaxing with a crucial home local derby with eventual winners Leicester Tigers which they lost 15–22.[11] Ian McGeechan had left the club at the end of the previous season to return to coach Scotland, and was replaced by former Saints player John Steele who had done well on a limited budget at London Scottish. Steele relied on the foundations laid by McGeechan, as well as the inspirational captaincy of Samoan Pat Lam to lead the club to European success the following season.

In 1999–2000, the club became a Public Limited Company (Plc) and shares were issued to the public; in this season the Saints lost in the Tetley's Bitter Cup Final to Wasps, but beat Munster 9–8 in the European Cup Final to win their first major trophy.

After a poor start to the 2001/2002 season, former All-Black coach Wayne Smith was appointed as head coach. He went on to transform the club in five short months. A team who looked down and out in November were moulded into a side that reached the Powergen Cup final and again qualified for the Heineken Cup. Travis Perkins became the club's main sponsor in 2001.[12]

In recent times the club narrowly survived relegation from the Premiership, after the coach (Alan Solomons) was sacked in the middle of the 2004–05 season. The coaching role was passed onto the former first teammates Budge Pountney and Paul Grayson to tide the team over. They had a slow start in the 2005–06 season, but continued to stay mainly unbeaten after the New Year. Budge retired at the start of the 2006–07 season leaving Grayson in overall control.

The Saints would again compete in the 2006–07 Heineken Cup. They finished second in their pool, behind Biarritz Olympique, the runners-up from the previous season. Northampton qualified for the quarter-finals and actually met Biarritz in Spain. Despite being in last place of the English league at the time, they defeated the French champions 7–6 to advance to the semi-finals.

Relegation (2007–08)

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On 28 April 2007, despite a 27–22 victory over London Irish at Franklin's Gardens, Northampton were relegated from the English Premiership. A "behind the scenes restructure" led to the brief appointment of Peter Sloane as head coach, from the role of forwards coach. Paul Grayson became the skills and backs coach. England Saxons coach Jim Mallinder became the new head coach and director of rugby, with his assistant Dorian West also following as assistant coach. Peter Sloane has since left the club.

On 22 March 2008, Northampton beat Exeter Chiefs to ensure their promotion and a return to the Guinness Premiership. On 12 April 2008, Northampton beat Exeter Chiefs 24–13 at Twickenham Stadium to win the EDF Energy Trophy. On 26 April 2008 they ended their National Division One season undefeated with 30 wins from 30 games.

Return to Premiership (2008–2014)

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In the 2008–09 season, the Saints finished eighth on the table and only losing one game at home to Newcastle Falcons. They also lifted the European Challenge Cup, defeating French side Bourgoin 15–3 in the final on 22 May 2009 at The Stoop in London.[13] The victory gave them a place in the 2009–10 Heineken Cup.

In March 2010, the Saints won the Anglo-Welsh Cup final against Gloucester 30–24, gaining them their fourth piece of silverware in three years, and a place in the following season's Heineken Cup. They also finished second in the English Premiership, losing to Saracens 19–21 in the semi-final played at Franklin's Gardens, and progressed as far as the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup losing to Munster at Thomond Park, Limerick.

Northampton finished fourth in the 2010–11 English Premiership, losing to Leicester in the semi-final. Saints also went undefeated into the final of the Heineken Cup, where they were beaten by Leinster 33–22, at the Millennium Stadium.[citation needed]

At the beginning of the 2011–12 season, with nine players out for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, Saints were knocked out of the 2011–12 Heineken Cup in Stadium MK by Munster. When the international players returned, Saints began to move up the table. England picked eight Saints players out of a squad of 32 to represent England, meaning that over a quarter of the England team were Saints – a new club record for the number of players selected for a single England squad.[citation needed] In 2011–12, the Saints reached a third successive Premiership semi-final and a second Anglo-Welsh Cup final in three seasons.

After winning their first five matches of 2012–13, the Saints were pulled back into the pack in the Premiership and exited both the Anglo-Welsh and Heineken Cups, despite ending Ulster's four-year unbeaten home European record just before Christmas 2012.[citation needed] The team finished fourth in the league, and after beating Saracens in the semi-final reached their first ever Premiership final, where they lost 37–17 to Leicester.[14][15] The 2013 season finished with seven players being taken to Argentina as part of the England squad, including Tom Wood as captain.

In the 2013–14 season, the club finished second in the league behind Saracens with a total of 78 points. Despite finishing second in the table, they went on to win the 2013–14 English Premiership, defeating table-topping Saracens 24–20, after 100 minutes of rugby due to the game going to extra time.[16][17] They also reached the final of the 2013–14 European Challenge Cup, which they won by beating Bath 16–30, with the match being played at Cardiff Arms Park in Wales.[18]

2014–2018

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Following the most arguably successful season in the club's history, the Saints finished atop of the Rugby Premiership with 76 points. However, they were undone in the 2014–15 Premiership Rugby semi-finals, losing out 24–29 to Saracens on 23 May 2015.[19]

After this, a couple disappointing seasons followed, with on-pitch results leading to a stagnation of the club overall, and on 12 December 2017, largely successful director of rugby Jim Mallinder was ultimately released from the club as a result after spending more than 10 years at the club.[20] On 29 December 2017, Australian coach Alan Gaffney joined the club on an interim basis until the end of the 2017–18 Premiership Rugby campaign, who worked alongside Alan Dickens at the helm.[21] The team finished 9th overall that year with a points tally of 43, but ultimately avoided relegation and confirmed their place in the 2018–19 Premiership Rugby season.

2018–Present

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A view overlooking twickenham from the top tier of the stadium during the 2023-2024 Gallagher Premiership final.
The 2024 Gallagher Premiership final was attended by around 35,000 Northampton Saints fans.

A new era was confirmed at the club, when it was announced on 29 January 2018, that Hurricanes boss Chris Boyd would link up with the Saints for the 2018–19 Premiership Rugby campaign.[22] The announcement of Boyd was a huge coup for the club, due to the coach's high level profile, and success in Southern Hemisphere Rugby, which included the 2016 Super Rugby title with the Hurricanes. In Boyd's first season at the club, the Northampton Saints would go on to lift the Premiership Rugby Cup, by defeating Saracens 23–9 in front of a home-final crowd, which took place on 17 March 2019.[23] The Saints also secured a top 4 finish for the first time since 2015, and Boyd's men would go on to face the Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership Rugby semi-final play-off system. In the 2023–24 season, Northampton Saints won the Gallagher Premiership in a match against Bath, finishing 25–21. This was their second league win, 10 years after their first win in 2014. A parade was organised for the following week and thousands of supporters attended. Roads were shut for this and a route was planned which went from Franklin's Gardens to the Northampton Guildhall.

Stadium

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Franklin's Gardens

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The Burrda Stand (2007)

Stadium Overview

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Northampton Saints have played at Franklin's Gardens since 1880, when the club was founded. Franklin's Gardens is a purpose-built rugby stadium to the west of the town centre, apart from the stadium, the club also has two training pitches, an indoor training centre, car parking facilities and a club shop (all see below). It is about 1,250 m from the railway station and about 2,000 m from the bus station. The stadium has a capacity of 15,148 people. The stadium also has 40 corporate boxes, each of which can hold from 8 to 24 people. The stadium is also a multi-functional conference centre as well as the only Gallagher Premiership ground with its own cenotaph, which is located on the north corner of the stadium under the main screen. All stands also contain wheelchair areas and wheelchair and disabled access is provided throughout.

The club's cenotaph can be seen with a fence in the background, the names of all players who died serving in the armed forces are displayed on the front of the light coloured stone memorial..
The club's cenotaph. The names of all Saints players who died serving in the Armed Forces are displayed here.

Northampton Saints had an unbeaten home record that stretched from March 2007 to March 2009, much of this record was set during the Saints' 2007/08 promotion from the RFU Championship (previously National Division One). During the 2008/09 English Premiership regular season the Saints only lost at Franklin's Gardens on one occasion, to the Newcastle Falcons.

In September 2021, Northampton Saints announced a six-year sponsorship deal with online car dealership cinch which including naming rights to Franklin's Gardens. The stadium immediately became cinch stadium at Franklin's Gardens and cinch would become the club's principal sponsor from 2022 to 2023 season.[24]

The Carlsberg Stand

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Until 2018, known as the Tetley's Stand, this stand has the largest capacity of all those in the stadium, and sits on the eastern side of the ground, running along the length of the pitch. The stand was constructed in 2001-2002 and replaced the old east stand. In the stadium bowl, it features both a seated area as well as a terraced standing area. There are 14 executive boxes in this stand above the seated and standing areas. Underneath the stand on the ground floor, the Rodber bar can be found, which also doubles as a conference centre with a full capacity of 600.[25] Also located on the ground floor, the Captain's Bar and Heroes Restaurant function as a conference area and serves certain supporters on match days, they both have a capacity of 150.[26][27] On the first floor there is also a Cocktail bar, called the 1880 Suite, which has a capacity of 50, as well as the Director's Lounge which also functions as a smaller conference centre and has a capacity of 120.[28][29]

Cinch Stand

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The Cinch Stand is located to the south of the ground and has the tallest seated area in the stadium, it runs along the width of the pitch. Originally known as the South Stand, it was constructed alongside the Tetley's (now Carlsberg) Stand in 2001-2002. It replaced the old temporary South Stand which had been up for some time by 2001. Construction was challenging due to the presence of a lake to the rear of the stand and initially much work had to be done to prevent subsidence. By 2005, plans were approved to increase the capacity of the stand and it was made several metres higher, adding around 1000 seats of capacity and 5 executive boxes, again the construction was influenced by the lake. Three stairwells (one for executive box use only) and seven entrance tunnels were added to allow easier access to the higher sections. Several bars were also added to the new concourse as well as additional toilet facilities. There is a gym located on the lower section of the stand though this is used less than the main gym in the Church's stand. In 2010 it was named the Burrda Sport Stand, later becoming the Elite Insurance Stand in 2016 and finally the Cinch Stand in 2022.[30]

Church's Stand

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The Church's stand is located to the west and runs along the length of the pitch. It was constructed in 2001-2002, alongside the South and Tetley's Stands. It is an all seated stand and is the only stand to not feature any executive boxes, likely due to design restrictions with it backing onto public land. Underneath the seating area, it contains the changing facilities for the home and away teams, as well as a gym and kit facilities. The Tunnel Club is also located here and functions as a viewing area for hospitality guests located inside the tunnel.[31] The head coach's seating area is also located at the top of the stand, and the benches for each team are located directly below.

A commemorative plaque on the tunnel in the Church's Stand which reads: This stand was officially opened on Saturday 9th November 2002 by Don White, Ron Jacobs, David Powell, Vince Cannon, Gary Pierce. Fifty years of Saints legends.
A commemorative plaque on the tunnel in the Church's Stand

Barwell Stand

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The Barwell Stand was constructed in 2015 and replaced the Sturtridge Pavilion. It is an all seated area apart from the executive box section at the top. In 2009, the Saints' board announced they would be applying to increase capacity to 17,000 with the redevelopment of the North Stand. It was intended this would be funded by a £40 million investment by supermarket chain Asda, who would build a new store on the land used as training pitches. A political battle ensued with the local council, which later came to be seen as an attempt by the board to wrest public funding and public land for their commercial objectives. After the previous controversy, the club secured funding through alternate means – a loan thought to be in the region of £5million through Northampton Borough Council – and with planning permission rubber-stamped, building commenced in the summer of 2015. The Barwell Stand, which was named after the Barwell family, was completed for the start of the 2015–16 Premiership Rugby season, and took the capacity at Franklin's Gardens up to 15,249. The stand also features the Members bar on the ground floor, which functions as a conference area on non-match days. Decorating the wall is an image of every single international player who has ever played for the club.[32]

Stadium Village

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The Stadium Village is located behind the Cinch Stand to the south. It features a number of bars and food stalls, as well as a large screen and a seating area next to the lake. Located here is also the Crooked Hooker bar, which can only be accessed by members and is one of the oldest structures still standing on the stadium grounds. There is also a marquee for conference events and club events.[33] The Northampton Saints Foundation offices are also located in one corner of the village.

Club Shop

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The Club Shop was acquired in the 1990s and was previously a nightclub/ bar. It is located to the north of the stadium and opens onto the main road (A4500). Sold here are replicas of all kits as well as accessories and other fashion items.[34] The main ticket office is also located to the rear of the Shop.

Northampton Saints High Performance Centre and training pitches

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The newly opened High Performance Centre can be seen with some grass in the foreground. The centre resembles a warehouse with the Saints' club colours forming a stripe along the side. In the background, the sky is grey.
The exterior of Northampton Saint's High Performance Training Centre

In 2023 the club opened the Northampton Saints High Performance Centre, located on the opposite side of the Village to the stadium. This is designed to act as somewhere indoors to train and was partially driven by the distinct advantages that sports teams gain from having a training area which can be used at any given time, even in extreme weather. The pitch has an artificial grass. It was built on the previous main training pitch at the back of the stadium and features changing facilities as well as a half-sized pitch to train on. There are still two further outdoor training pitches which are also used for games by the youth players and second team, as well as for hosting youth rugby tournaments.[35]

Other facilities

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The stadium has six car parks, with enough space for 1,500 cars.[36] The main car parks are located next to the outdoor training pitches and were constructed in 2005, they lie opposite the car parks used by the Football Club. The executive parking is located just outside the stadium next to the Carlsberg Stand.

Stadium MK

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Stadium:MK

The club played a 2011 Heineken Cup quarter final match against Ulster at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, because Franklin's Gardens was too small to meet the minimum 15,000 seats demanded by the European Rugby Cup tournament organisers.[37] The Saints won the match, beating Ulster 23–13, witnessed by a crowd of over 21,000. The Saints also played their semi-final there the same year, beating Perpignan 23–7. The Saints then hosted one Premiership match a season at the stadium between 2014–15 and 2016–17. After this, it was deemed not commercially viable for the club to continue playing at the Stadium MK and up to now, no further games have taken place here.

Kits

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The Northampton Saints crest used up to 2024

In 2008, after being promoted from the championship to the premiership, Saints changed from Kooga to Rhino. After two years with Rhino, and coming second in the table, Saints switched again to Burrda Sport, a Swiss sports apparel company. Northampton signed a four-year deal with Burrda which have brought back the old-fashioned ring but with a modern twist for the home shirt and the away shirt with its black and gold ring with a peppermint light green background. In the 2014/15 season Burrda released a kit with horizontal green, black and gold stripes of the same size. It was one of the most popular kit releases of Saints History. Starting in the 2016/17 season Macron are Saints' kit supplier, signing a 10-year deal with the club. For the 2021–2022 season the club released an away shirt with the names of the season-ticket holders that had donated their ticket to the club because of the coronavirus.


Kit History

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Years Kit Manufacturer Main Sponsor
1970s-1989 Europa Sports None
1989-1993 Cotton Oxford Carlsberg
1993-1995 Puma
1995-1996 Firm Security
1996-1998 Cotton Traders
1998-2000 Tetley's
2000-2001 Canterbury
2001-2003 Travis Perkins
2003-2007 KooGa
2007-2010 Rhino Rugby
2010-2015 Burrda Sports
2015-2017 Macron
2017-2020 Toolstation
2020-2023 Travis Perkins
2023-2026 Cinch


Current kit

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The kit is supplied by Macron. On the front of the shirt, Cinch is at the centre while GRS appears on the left and right of the collar. The shoe company Church's appears on the left sleeve. On the right sleeve, the logo of the tournament varies between matches and below it is the Rugby Against Racism logo. On the back of the shirt, Cinch is located above the player name and number. Cinch is also at the top on the back match day shorts.

Club Culture and Identity

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Colours and Crest

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Jersey Origins

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Saints originally played in a scarlet kit which was then changed to a black and green kit with no crest, with a simple cross being added at some time before 1884 (the same cross which now forms the basis of the new 2024 crest). This cross was removed from the shirts at some point between then and 1904 and the final, gold stripe was added that year after Saints played the Original All Blacks. These colours would form the design of every home kit since.

Crest History

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Throughout the 1950s a new crest was designed and granted to the club by The Heraldry Society. This new crest was effectively a modified version of the coat of arms of Northampton. This new crest was used on all important documents as well as on jackets, training shirts and other pieces of formal wear, though was not included on a match shirt until 1984.[citation needed]

There were two minor changes to the crest which occurred in 1996 and 2016 respectively. Firstly in 1996 the text below the crest was changed to say "Northampton Rugby Football Club", as opposed to the previous "Northampton Football Club" (which is still the legal name of the club to this day). Secondly in 2016 this text was further changed to say "Northampton Saints" instead.

A new crest was revealed on the 11th July 2024, with the original 1880 cross being placed in the centre of a similarly shaped shield.[38] The change was considered controversial by some Saints fans, but supported by others.[39]

Away and Cup Jerseys

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Saints first away shirt came in 1990 and was white, green and gold, essentially a home shirt with the black replaced with white. To this day this is the most commonly used design format for the club's away shirts, though many other designs have been used since. The following years saw this pattern repeated until 1996 when a mainly black kit with small gold and green stripes was used as an away shirt. in the 1999-2000 season, an away kit was rarely used and took the form of either a solid black or dark green shirt. The seasons following saw a return to the mainly black strip until 2005 when a white shirt with small green and gold stripes was used again, with this being repeated as the away design until 2012 when a sky blue shirt was used. The following year a neon green away shirt was used, with this design lasting two years and seeing usage in the Saints' first Premiership title win. An all grey strip was used in 2016 for the first time, with this design returning in 2019. In 2017 another neon green away strip was worn and 2018 a claret shirt was worn as a homage to the county's colours. Finally the classic white returned for 2020 and 2023 and were interspersed by a grey kit in 2021 and a pink kit in 2022 respectively. For 2024 a light grey/ white shirt with no gold was used as an away strip.

Cup/third shirts have been used intermittently by the club, perhaps most famously the hastily designed cup shirt used in the 2002 Powergen Cup final against London Irish, after it became apparent that a kit clash would be inevitable with both the home or away jerseys, with the "third" shirt being a training kit. Third kits since then have varied in colours, with yellow, black, and red all being used from time to time.

Rivalries

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Saints' main rivals are Leicester Tigers, whom they face in the East Midlands Derby. Over a number of recent years, the Saints have developed a rivalry with Saracens, largely due to the increased number of fixtures the two teams have performed against one another in, the most notable fixture being the 2013–14 Premiership Rugby Final, in which the Saints ran out victors. The rivalry with Saracens died down somewhat following Saracens' relegation after their Salary Cap Scandal and Saracens' subsequent relegation, but this rivalry has been rekindled somewhat since Saracens' re-admittance to the Premiership. Saints also had a mild rivalry with Wasps during their time in Coventry, but this second Midlands Derby was usually seen as less important to fans of the club.

Songs and Chants

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There are several songs tied to the club and chants are usually started in the terraced area of the Carlsberg Stand.

Songs

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Saints' main club song is When the Saints Go Marching In, and is frequently sung by supporters. Unlike other sports teams that use this song, it is usually sung quicker by Saints fans, at around 140BPM, for its entire duration.

Another frequently used song amongst the crowd in recent years has been "The Fields Are Green", a song that has had connotations with the town and more specifically the Football Club for decades. Dowson introduced the song to the Saints players in 2022 and since then the song that was already known by many supporters begun to be sung in the stands too. This formed part of a wider push for a stronger, more local identity amongst the players.

Chants

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Chants of "Come on you Saints" and "Jimmies" (from Saint James) have been used for a long time by the club's supporters, though the latter has fallen out of use somewhat over the last decade. More recently, alongside the singing of "The Fields Are Green", the chants of "Shoe Army" can be heard amongst the crowds, a nickname of the football club that has also recently been adopted by the Saints and relates to the town's shoemaking history. Supporters have also been seen removing their shoes during this chant.

Identity among Players

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There have been several pushes from different coaches throughout Saints' history for an identity amongst the players. Perhaps the most famous of these pushes was carried out by Wayne Smith, who not only ordered the purchase of the famous "punishment car" used in the 2003 season, a Reliant Rialto painted in the club's colours,[40] but also introduced the idea of having a "player of the week" shirt (an away shirt with a large Superman logo stitched onto the chest) as a reward for players for getting man of the match.

More recently, coach Phil Dowson has pushed for a new identity amongst the players, emphasising the club's connection to Northampton and its history. Players have been encouraged to sing songs about the towns shoemaking history, and many of these cultural changes appear to be as a result of Dowson's admiration for the playing culture of the football club.

Other Symbols of the Club

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The Stickman

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The Saints Stickman is a symbol of the club and has been used since at least the 1980s. The stickman has a halo and is often depicted carrying a rugby ball. Though the origins relating to how the club started using this character are unknown, the origins of the character lie in a series of books written and illustrated by Leslie Charteris. The club sells plenty of merchandise with the stickman's likeness on, though the most popular and enduring of these products is a car decal and many vehicles can be seen driving around town with this symbol on the back as a subtle show of support to the team.

Bernie

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Bernie, the club's mascot, is a Saint Bernard that can be frequently seen at home games. He has been a symbol of the club since at least 1999 and his design has remained the same since then, with only his shirt changing every season.

Community

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Participation and Youth Events

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Saints have been active in the local community for a number of years, with a large amount of this being carried out at the junior level. Players are often sent by the club to carry out junior training sessions in the twenty or so clubs within the county and the annual Saints training camp takes place at Stowe School every year. More recently there have been other locations used for smaller junior training camps, such as the training pitches at Franklins Gardens.

The Northampton Saints Supporters Club

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The Supporters Club was officially founded in 1922 and has the primary objective of acting as an organisation to represent Saints fans and make their voices heard. In terms of secondary objectives, the Club aims to support all the local clubs in the area and to increase attendances both home and away. They frequently meet for social events and they organise coach travel to away games.[41]

The Northampton Saints Foundation

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The foundation has its roots in the organised educational actions undertaken by the club in the county, though the idea of supporting local young people was one of the main factors in the club's creation in 1880. The foundation was formally created in 2018 and has provided many opportunities for young people since then.[42] Most of this is centred around education about employability, life skills and interpersonal development.

The second pillar of the foundation is the preservation of history and they frequently carry out educational seminars about the club. The organisation is also responsible for researching the club's history.

The Parish

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The Parish is a community initiative set up by the club to support the local area by providing a number of benefits and exclusive offers to people who live within a certain distance of the ground.[43]

Local Business Relations

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Many businesses in the town centre can be seen sporting Saints flags and many bars and pubs in the town have pieces of Saints memorabilia scattered around. In 2024 the Northampton Saints Business Club was created, it aims to form good relations with local businesses to allow the local economy to grow.[44]

Club Partnerships

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Saints announced that for the 2020-2021 Championship and Premiership seasons, they would make a number of players available for usage by Bedford Blues as part of a wider strategic partnership. Both clubs already had a close relationship due to several factors such as proximity, shared history, frequent friendly games already being played and similarities in business models.

The agreement also cemented an annual pre season game to be competed between the two clubs, as well as the exchanging of coaching staff between both teams.

In 2021, Saints announced a partnership with the Loughborough University Women's Rugby Team who play in Premiership Women's Rugby, the top women's rugby competition in England. The agreement would see several Lightning games being played in Northampton, as well as the Northampton Saints badge appearing on their shirt. Furthermore, the team would be provided with a special kit in Saints colours for these games in Northampton.[45]

Club honours & achievements

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Northampton Saints

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Northampton Wanderers (Reserves)

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  • Premiership Rugby Shield
    • Champions: (3) 2008–09, 2016–17, 2017–18
    • Runners–Up: (4) 2003–04, 2007–08, 2013–14, 2015–16

Current squad

[edit]

The Northampton Saints squad for the 2024–25 season is: Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Curtis Langdon Hooker England England
Nathan Langdon Hooker England England
Robbie Smith Hooker Scotland Scotland
Trevor Davison Prop England England
Luke Green Prop England England
Tarek Haffar Prop England England
Emmanuel Iyogun Prop England England
Elliot Millar-Mills Prop Scotland Scotland
Ed Prowse Prop England England
Beltus Nonleh Prop Cameroon Cameroon
Tom West Prop England England
Alex Coles Lock England England
Callum Hunter-Hill Lock Scotland Scotland
Tom Lockett Lock England England
Temo Mayanavanua Lock Fiji Fiji
Chunya Munga Lock England England
Will Spencer Lock England England
Gavin Thornbury Lock Ireland Ireland
Juarno Augustus Back row South Africa South Africa
Archie Benson Back row England England
Fyn Brown Back row England England
Sam Graham Back row England England
Josh Kemeny Back row Australia Australia
Tom Pearson Back row England England
Angus Scott-Young Back row Australia Australia
Player Position Union
Tom James Scrum-half England England
Alex Mitchell Scrum-half England England
George Makepeace-Cubitt Fly-half England England
Charlie Savala Fly-half Australia Australia
Fin Smith Fly-half England England
Fraser Dingwall Centre England England
Rory Hutchinson Centre Scotland Scotland
Tom Litchfield Centre England England
Burger Odendaal Centre South Africa South Africa
Tommy Freeman Wing England England
James Ramm Wing Australia Australia
Tom Seabrook Wing England England
Ollie Sleightholme Wing England England
George Furbank Fullback England England
George Hendy Fullback England England

Academy squad

[edit]

Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.

Player Position Union
Craig Wright Hooker England England
Tom Dye Prop England England
Ollie Scola Prop England England
Sonny Tonga'uiha Prop England England
Emeka Atuanya Lock England England
Aiden Ainsworth-Cave Back row England England
Reuben Logan Back row England England
Henry Pollock Back row England England
Player Position Union
Jake Garside Scrum-half England England
Archie McParland Scrum-half England England
Jonny Weimann Scrum-half England England
Louis Haley Fly-half England England
Billy Pasco Centre England England
Toby Thame Centre England England
Toby Cousins Wing England England
Will Glister Wing England England
Rafe Witheat Wing England England
Ewan Baker Fullback England England

Club staff

[edit]

First team coaching

Academy

  • Mark Hopley – Academy Manager
  • Alex O'Dowd - Player and Coach Development Manager
  • Jake Sharp - Academy Coach
  • Will Parkin - Academy Coach
  • Jim Henry - Academy Coach
  • Tim Grimsey - Academy Coach

Notable former players

[edit]

Rugby World Cup

[edit]

The following are players which have represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup, whilst playing for Northampton:

Tournament Players selected England players Other national team players
1987 1 Gary Pearce
1991 2 Gary Pearce, John Olver
1995 4 Martin Bayfield, Ian Hunter, Tim Rodber Peter Walton Scotland
1999 7 Nick Beal, Matt Dawson, Paul Grayson, Tim Rodber Budge Pountney Scotland, Allan Bateman Wales, Pat Lam Samoa
2003 5 Ben Cohen, Matt Dawson, Paul Grayson, Steve Thompson Tom Smith Scotland
2007 3 Soane Tongaʻuiha Tonga, Euan Murray, Sean Lamont Scotland
2011 8 Chris Ashton, Ben Foden, Dylan Hartley, Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood Soane Tongaʻuiha Tonga, Vasily Artemiev Russia, George Pisi Samoa
2015 8 Kieran Brookes, Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood George North Wales, Kahn Fotuali'i, George Pisi, Ken Pisi Samoa, Victor Matfield South Africa
2019 7 Piers Francis, Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam Ahsee Tuala Samoa, Cobus Reinach South Africa, Api Ratuniyarawa Fiji, Dan Biggar Wales
2023 5 Alex Mitchell, Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam Sam Matavesi, Temo Mayanavanua Fiji

British and Irish Lions

[edit]

The following players have toured with the British & Irish Lions while members of the club, other players have been selected but did not tour due to either injury, suspension or other reasons:

Hall of Fame

[edit]

The history of Northampton Saints is one filled with illustrious names. To recognise and honour its best players, the club established its Hall of Fame in 2004. To date 21 players have been inducted:

Captains

[edit]
  • 1880–81 F Barker
  • 1882 A Timms
  • 1883 T Racer
  • 1884 E Eyles
  • 1885–86 C Stanley
  • 1887 T Stanley
  • 1888 E S Dunkley
  • 1889 C Stanley
  • 1890 A E Orton
  • 1891 C Stanley
  • 1892–93 A E Orton
  • 1894–95 C H Davis
  • 1896 K H Kingston
  • 1897 C H Davis
  • 1898 K H Kingston
  • 1899 H B Kingston
  • 1900–01 W H Kingston
  • 1902 H T F Weston
  • 1903–04 H E Kingston
  • 1905 R West
  • 1906 E C Palmer
  • 1907 J H Miles
  • 1908–13 E R Mobbs
  • 1914 E C Cook
  • 1920–22 A G Bull
  • 1923 C P Tebbitt
  • 1924 A G Bull
  • 1925 R Vaughan
  • 1926 A F Blakiston
  • 1927 R Jones
  • 1928 J B Merry
  • 1929–30 W H Weston
  • 1931 E Coley
  • 1932 T Harris
  • 1933–34 W H Weston
  • 1935 A D Matthews
  • 1936 R J Longland
  • 1937 T Harris
  • 1938 W H Weston
  • 1939–41 G S Sturtridge
  • 1943–46 A P Bell
  • 1947 R Longland
  • 1948 R W Hamp
  • 1949 E R Knapp
  • 1950–54 D R White
  • 1955 M J Berridge
  • 1956–57 D R White
  • 1958 R E G Jeeps
  • 1959–61 C R Jacobs
  • 1962–63 P J Taylor
  • 1964 A R Turnell
  • 1965–66 C R Jacobs
  • 1967 R B Taylor
  • 1968–72 D L Powell
  • 1973–74 M J Roper
  • 1975–76 I D Wright
  • 1977 J J Page
  • 1978 P Johnson
  • 1979–80 P Sweet
  • 1981–82 P McGuckian
  • 1983 V Cannon
  • 1984 J A G D Raphael
  • 1985–86 D R Woodrow
  • 1987 G J Poole
  • 1988 G Steele-Bodger
  • 1989–91 G Pearce
  • 1992–93 C J Olver
  • 1994–99 T A K Rodber
  • 1999–2001 P R Lam
  • 2001 A C Pountney
  • 2002–04 A C Pountney and J Leslie
  • 2004 C Krige until November then S G Thompson
  • 2005 S G Thompson and T B Reihana
  • 2006–09 T B Reihana
  • 2009–14 D M Hartley
  • 2015 L Dickson
  • 2016 T Wood
  • 2017–18 D M Hartley
  • 2018–19 A Waller and D M Hartley
  • 2019-20 A Waller and T Harrison
  • 2020-21 A Waller and L Ludlam
  • 2021-24 L Ludlam

Statistics

[edit]

Overall stats

[edit]

Seasons summary

[edit]
Domestic League Domestic Cup European Cup
Season Competition Final Position Points Play-Offs Competition Performance Competition Performance
1987–88 Courage League Division 2 12th 13 N/A John Player Cup 3rd round No competition N/A
1988–89 Courage League Division 2 3rd 13 Pilkington Cup 3rd round
1989–90 Courage League Division 2 1st (P) 19 Pilkington Cup Semi-final
1990–91 Courage League Division 1 9th 11 Pilkington Cup Runners-up
1991–92 Courage League Division 1 3rd 19 Pilkington Cup 4th round
1992–93 Courage League Division 1 4th 16 Pilkington Cup Semi-final
1993–94 Courage League Division 1 5th 18 Pilkington Cup 5th round
1994–95 Courage League Division 1 10th (R) 12 Pilkington Cup Quarter-final
1995–96 Courage League Division 2 1st (P) 36 Pilkington Cup 4th round No English teams
1996–97 Courage League Division 1 8th 20 Pilkington Cup Quarter-final Challenge Cup Quarter-final
1997–98 Premiership 8th 19 Tetley's Bitter Cup Semi-final Challenge Cup 2nd in pool
C&G Cup Quarter-final
1998–99 Premiership 2nd 38 Tetley's Bitter Cup 5th round No English teams N/A
C&G Cup Quarter-final
1999–00 Premiership 5th 35 Tetley's Bitter Cup Runners-up Heineken Cup Champions
2000–01 Premiership 4th 59 Tetley's Bitter Cup Quarter-final Heineken Cup 4th in pool
2001–02 Premiership 5th 56 Powergen Cup Runners-up Heineken Cup 4th in pool
2002–03 Premiership 3rd 62 Semi-final Powergen Cup Runners-up Heineken Cup Quarter-final
2003–04 Premiership 3rd 70 Semi-final Powergen Cup 6th round Heineken Cup 2nd in pool
2004–05 Premiership 11th 40 DNQ Powergen Cup Quarter-final Heineken Cup Quarter-final
2005–06 Premiership 6th 53 DNQ Powergen Cup 2nd in pool Challenge Cup Quarter-final
2006–07 Premiership 12th (R) 33 DNQ EDF Energy Cup 4th in pool Heineken Cup Semi-final
2007–08 National Division One 1st (P) 143 N/A EDF Energy Trophy Champions Not qualified N/A
2008–09 Premiership 8th 49 DNQ EDF Energy Cup Semi-final Challenge Cup Champions
2009–10 Premiership 2nd 71 Semi-final LV= Cup Champions Heineken Cup Quarter-final
2010–11 Premiership 4th 65 Semi-final LV= Cup 2nd in pool Heineken Cup Runners-up
2011–12 Premiership 4th 65 Semi-final LV= Cup Runners-up Heineken Cup 3rd in pool
2012–13 Premiership 4th 65 Runners-up LV= Cup 2nd in pool Heineken Cup 2nd in pool
2013–14 Premiership 2nd 78 Champions LV= Cup Runners-up Challenge Cup* Champions*
2014–15 Premiership 1st 76 Semi-final LV= Cup Semi-final Champions Cup Quarter-final
2015–16 Premiership 5th 60 DNQ No competition N/A Champions Cup Quarter-final
2016–17 Premiership 7th 52 DNQ Anglo-Welsh Cup 2nd in pool Champions Cup 4th in pool
2017–18 Premiership 9th 43 DNQ Anglo-Welsh Cup Semi-final Champions Cup 4th in pool
2018–19 Premiership 4th 56 Semi-final Premiership Cup Champions Challenge Cup Quarter-final
2019–20 Premiership 8th 42 DNQ Premiership Cup 4th in pool Champions Cup Quarter-final
2020–21 Premiership 5th 57 DNQ No competition N/A Challenge Cup* Quarter-final
2021–22 Premiership 4th 75 Semi-final Premiership Cup Group Stage Challenge Cup* Round of 16
2022–23 Premiership 4th 58 Semi-final Premiership Cup Semi-final Champions Cup Group Stage
2023–24 Premiership 1st 60 Champions Premiership Cup Group Stage Champions Cup Semi-final

Gold background denotes champions
Silver background denotes runners-up
Pink background denotes relegated

* After dropping into the competition from the Champions Cup/Heineken Cup

Player stats

[edit]

APPEARANCES

470 - Ron Jacobs (1949–66)

448 - Don White (1943–61)

438 - Vince Cannon (1973–89)

436 - Alf Chalmers (1897–1912)

426 - Tom Harris (1923–37)

TRIES

219 - Teddy Cook (1908–23)

207 - Billy Kingston (1895–1905)

185 - Barry Oldham (1964–78)

179 - Edgar Mobbs (1905–13)

178 - Frank Packman (1983–96)

POINTS

2,786 - Paul Grayson (1996–2005)

2,655 - Stephen Myler (2006–2018)

1,463 - Roger Hosen (1955–67)

1,385 - John Steele (1988–94)

1,113 - Ian Moffat (1967–74)

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Background". Northampton Saints Foundation. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Franklins Gardens, Northampton Saints Stadium". Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Club records". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  4. ^ "Phil Dowson to succeed Chris Boyd as Northampton Saints director of rugby at end of season". Sky Sports. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers, Premiership semi-final: Gloves off for rugby's biggest grudge match". The Daily Telegraph. 15 May 2014. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  6. ^ "The 12 biggest rugby rivalries on the planet". Wales Online. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Saints history website". Retrieved 29 December 2013.
  8. ^ Bolton, Paul (18 March 2014). "Saints and the Army gather to honour fallen hero". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Mobbs Memorial Match promises to be poignant occasion". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  10. ^ "New format agreed for Mobbs Memorial Match". Bedford Rugby. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  11. ^ "Rugby Union | Leicester move out of sight". BBC News. 13 March 1999. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  12. ^ Northampton Saints, northamptonsaints.co.uk Archived 8 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 30 November 2010
  13. ^ Pryor, Matthew (23 May 2009). "Northampton lift European Challenge Cup". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2009.
  14. ^ "Hartley hit with 11-week ban". ESPN. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  15. ^ "Tigers power to tenth title as Hartley sees red". ESPN. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
  16. ^ "Premiership final: Saracens 20-24 Northampton Saints". BBC. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  17. ^ "Aviva Premiership Final: Saracens 20 Northampton Saints 24". premiershiprugby.com. 31 May 2014. Archived from the original on 3 June 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  18. ^ "Amlin Challenge Cup final: Bath 16-30 Northampton". BBC. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
  19. ^ "Saracens send Saints crashing out of play-offs". ESPN. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  20. ^ "Jim Mallinder: Northampton Saints sack director of rugby". BBC Sport. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  21. ^ Gerard, Meagher (29 December 2017). "Northampton appoint Alan Gaffney as interim coach to end of season". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  22. ^ "Rugby Union Today: Saints appoint Chris Boyd". Planet Rugby. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  23. ^ "Premiership Rugby Cup Final: Northampton beat Saracens with three first-half tries". BBC Sport. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  24. ^ "News | cinch to drive Saints forward with new six-year partnership deal". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  25. ^ https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/rodber
  26. ^ https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/captains
  27. ^ https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/heroes-restaurant
  28. ^ https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/1880-suite
  29. ^ https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/directors-lounge
  30. ^ https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/news/cinch-to-drive-saints-forward-with-new-six-year-partnership-deal
  31. ^ https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/hospitality/matchday/tunnel-club
  32. ^ https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/members
  33. ^ https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/village
  34. ^ https://shop.northamptonsaints.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOorFrPjp8eI6WXHaWxSIZn4djCuyXtzeM7-jQ49tOWFJ7bzM3M5F
  35. ^ https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/training-pitch
  36. ^ https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/tickets/matchday-info
  37. ^ "Northampton forced to move Ulster tie to Milton Keynes". BBC Sport. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  38. ^ https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/news/northampton-saints-reveal-new-club-crest
  39. ^ Amos, Annabel; Devlin, Laura (12 July 2024). "I love the Saints crest - it's easier to tattoo". BBC. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  40. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd11p1j7jk8o#:~:text=The%20ruined%20vehicle%2C%20a%20Reliant,for%20a%20period%20of%20time.
  41. ^ https://www.northamptonssc.co.uk/about-us
  42. ^ https://www.northamptonsaintsfoundation.org/about-us/background
  43. ^ https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/the-parish/about-the-parish
  44. ^ https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/news/northampton-saints-launch-new-business-club
  45. ^ https://premiershiprugby.com/content/saints-join-forces-with-premier-15s-side-loughborough-lightning
[edit]