Northampton Saints: Difference between revisions
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{{short description|English rugby union football club}} |
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{{Rugby team |
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{{Use British English|date=June 2014}} |
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| teamname = Northampton Saints |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} |
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| image = Northampton_saints_badge.png |
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| fullname = Northampton Saints RFC |
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| founded = 1880 |
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| ground = [[Franklin's Gardens]] |
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| location = [[Northampton]], England |
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| countryflag = England |
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| capacity = 13,601 |
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| chairman = {{flagicon|England}} Keith Barwell |
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| coach = {{flagicon|England}} [[Jim Mallinder]] | league = [[Guinness Premiership]] |
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| season = 2007-08 |
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| position = 1st (Promoted from National Division One) |
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| url = www.northamptonsaints.co.uk |
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| pattern_la1=| pattern_b1=_saintshome| pattern_ra1=| leftarm1=000000| body1=000000| rightarm1=000000| shorts1=000000| socks1=000000| |
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| pattern_la2=_saintsaway| pattern_b2=_saintsaway| pattern_ra2=_saintsaway| shorts2=ffffff| socks2=Image:kit_socks_saintsaway.png}} |
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{{Infobox rugby team |
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'''Northampton Saints''' are a professional English [[rugby union]] club from [[Northampton]], England. Northampton play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at [[Franklin's Gardens]] which has a capacity of 13,600. |
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| teamname = Northampton Saints |
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| image = Northampton_Saints_Logo.svg |
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| imagesize = |
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| union = [[East Midlands Rugby Football Union|East Midlands RFU]] |
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| fullname = Northampton Rugby Football Club |
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| nickname = Saints, Jimmies<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.northamptonsaintsfoundation.org/about-us/background |title=Background |publisher=Northampton Saints Foundation |access-date=12 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025015711/https://www.northamptonsaintsfoundation.org/about-us/background |archive-date=25 October 2020}}</ref> |
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| location = [[Northampton]], [[England]] |
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| region = [[Northamptonshire]] |
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| founded = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1880}} |
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| ground = [[Franklin's Gardens|cinch stadium at Franklin's Gardens]] |
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| capacity = 15,249<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/club/our-stadium |title=Franklins Gardens, Northampton Saints Stadium |access-date=5 July 2023 |archive-date=7 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607163708/https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/club/our-stadium}}</ref> |
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| chairman = John White |
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| ceo = Julia Chapman |
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| rugby director = [[Phil Dowson]] |
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| captain = [[George Furbank]] |
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| appearances = [[Ron Jacobs (rugby union)|Ron Jacobs]] (470) |
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| top scorer = [[Paul Grayson (rugby union)|Paul Grayson]] (2,786)<ref>{{cite web|title=Club records|url=http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/rugby/club_records.php|publisher=Northampton Saints|access-date=16 May 2013|archive-date=9 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609014213/http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/rugby/club_records.php|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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| most tries = Teddy Cook (219) |
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| league = [[Premiership Rugby]] |
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| season = [[2023–24 Premiership Rugby|2023–24]] |
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| position = 1st (Champions) |
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| url = https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/ |
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| pattern_la1 = _nsaints2425h |
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| pattern_b1 = _nsaints2425h |
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| pattern_ra1 = _nsaints2425h |
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| pattern_sh1 = _sidesonblack |
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| pattern_so1 = |
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| leftarm1 = 000000 |
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| body1 = 000000 |
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| rightarm1 = 000000 |
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| shorts1 = 006342 |
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| socks1 = 000000 |
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<!-- away kit --> |
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| pattern_la2 = _borderonwhite |
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| pattern_ra2 = _borderonwhite |
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| pattern_b2 = _collaronwhite |
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| pattern_sh2 = _whitesides |
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| pattern_so2 = |
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| leftarm2 = 006342 |
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| body2 = 006342 |
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| rightarm2 = 006342 |
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| shorts2 = 006342 |
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| socks2 = 006342 |
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}} |
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'''Northampton Saints''' (officially '''Northampton Rugby Football Club''') are a professional [[rugby union]] club from [[Northampton]], England. They play in [[Premiership Rugby]], England's top division of rugby union. |
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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 the 15,249 capacity [[Franklin's Gardens]], in the [[St. James End, Northampton|St. James]] area in the west of the town. Since the early 1900s, the team has played in black, green and gold colours. |
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In the 2007/8 season, the team played in England's second tier, [[National Division One]], but has returned to the [[Guinness Premiership]] for the 2008/9 season, having clinched the ND1 championship with their victory over [[Exeter Chiefs]] on March 22, 2008. |
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At the conclusion of the [[2023–24 Premiership Rugby]] season, Saints finished first, 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.skysports.com/rugby-union/news/12321/12514255/phil-dowson-to-succeed-chris-boyd-as-northampton-saints-director-of-rugby-at-end-of-season|work=Sky Sports|date=12 January 2022|access-date=24 July 2022|title=Phil Dowson to succeed Chris Boyd as Northampton Saints director of rugby at end of season}}</ref> |
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The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. The club won their first major trophy when they defeated [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] in the [[1999-00 Heineken Cup]] final. |
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To date, Saints have won seven major titles. They were European Champions in [[2000 Heineken Cup Final|2000]], and English Champions in [[2013–14 Premiership Rugby#Final|2014]] and [[2023–24 Premiership Rugby|2024]]. They have also won the secondary [[European Rugby Challenge Cup]] twice, in [[2008–09 European Challenge Cup|2009]] and [[2013–14 European Challenge Cup|2014]], the [[Anglo-Welsh Cup]] in [[2009–10 LV Cup|2010]], and the inaugural [[Premiership Rugby Cup]] in [[2018–19 Premiership Rugby Cup|2019]]. |
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Finally, the Saints have won the [[RFU Championship|Second Division]] title three times; in [[1989–90 Courage League National Division Two|1990]], [[1995–96 Courage League National Division Two|1996]] and [[2007–08 National Division One|2008]]. |
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The Saints' biggest rivals are [[Leicester Tigers]]. The [[East Midlands Derby (Rugby Union)|East Midlands Derby]] is one of the fiercest rivalries in English rugby union.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/10834224/Northampton-Saints-v-Leicester-Tigers-Premiership-semi-final-Gloves-off-for-rugbys-biggest-grudge-match.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/10834224/Northampton-Saints-v-Leicester-Tigers-Premiership-semi-final-Gloves-off-for-rugbys-biggest-grudge-match.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers, Premiership semi-final: Gloves off for rugby's biggest grudge match|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=15 May 2014|access-date=5 January 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/12-biggest-rugby-rivalries-planet-11024928|title=The 12 biggest rugby rivalries on the planet|website=Wales Online|date=11 March 2016|access-date=5 January 2017}}</ref> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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===Early years=== |
===Early years (1880-1945)=== |
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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 who was a resident of the nearby village of [[Milton Malsor]]<ref name ="Wigg">{{cite web|title = Rev Samuel Wathem Wigg at Milton Malsor Historical Society|url = http://www.miltonmalsorhistory.org.uk/times/samuel_wigg/|accessdate = 2008-11-14}}</ref>. 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". |
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====Establishment and development==== |
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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 national rugby union team|England]] [[cap (football)|cap]]. |
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The club was established in 1880 under the original title of Northampton St. James 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#Landmarks|Milton Malsor]] in the house known as "Mortimers".<ref name="Wigg">{{cite web|title = Saints history website|url = http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/SaintsNation/ClubHistory.aspx|access-date = 29 December 2013|archive-date = 12 December 2013|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131212214453/http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/SaintsNation/ClubHistory.aspx|url-status = dead}}</ref> This is how the club got its two nicknames of "The Saints" or "Jimmies". Wigg Himself had played for around 18 months between 1878 and 1880, and rugby football had already been played on an informal basis in the town and the county for around 17 years at this point.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |pages=1–2 |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref> His original concept was to promote "order" to his younger parish members by creating an "improvement class" for troubled local boys.<ref>https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/club/the-beginning</ref> |
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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 he 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 sadly killed in battle, leading his battalion over the top by kicking a rugby ball into No-Mans 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 has been played every year since 1921 between the Barbarians and East Midlands at Franklin's Gardens. |
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The first "official" game played is considered to be against a local team, called the Star, from Bailiff Street, just off the [[Northampton Racecourse]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |page=5 |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref> The early days saw games against teams from Northampton such as All Saints, St Michael's, Scorpions, Northampton Rugby Club, the Wanderers, and, in contrast to Saints' working-class roots, the exclusive, predominantly upper-class Northampton Unity Football Club, who later offered to merge with Saints (though this was refused by the St James governing board).<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |page=5 |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref> |
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{{Quote box |
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|quote = "'''Play the game as a sportsman should, remember that life is but a span, it's up to us to be cheerful and good, and make life as bright as we can'''" |
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|author = Rev. Samuel Wathen Wigg |
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|source = ''speech given to the club in 1927''<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |page=3 |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref> |
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|width= 40% |
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|align= left |
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}} |
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It was not long before Northampton had one of the major [[rugby union]] teams in the country, by the 1896–97 season they only conceded 93 points and kept their opposition scoreless for 17 of the 22 games played that season.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |page=5 |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref> Twenty years after its establishment, the first Saints player, local farmer Harry Weston, was awarded an [[England national rugby union team|England]] [[cap (football)|cap]].<ref>http://www.rugbyheritagemk.org.uk/weston-family.html</ref> The club was also drawing crowds of around 10,000 for major games, especially those against [[East Midlands Derby (Rugby Union)|Leicester]] by this point.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |page=6 |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref> |
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====Relationships with other clubs in town==== |
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A minor disagreement occurred in 1897 as Saints looked to drop the "St. James" part of their name to become "Northampton Football Club", as the recently formed [[association football]] club [[Northampton Town FC]] also wished to take on this name. In the end, after some negotiation from RFU chairman [[George Rowland Hill]], the Cobblers were willing to cede the name to Saints.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |page=9 |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref> |
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Saints formed an early relationship with the [[Northamptonshire CCC|Cricket Club]], after donating all ticket proceedings from their 1897 game against [[Portsmouth RFC]] to the cricket club, they later followed this up with a similar gesture after a game against [[Bedford Blues|Bedford]] in 1899.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |pages=7–9 |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref> |
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====Original All Blacks tour==== |
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In 1905, Saints managed to secure a game against the [[Original All Blacks]], losing 32–0. After a post-match meeting on 1 May 1905, a third, gold, stripe was added to the shirt to mark the occasion, despite the heavy defeat.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |page=13 |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref> |
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[[File:Northampton saints allblacks 1905.jpg|thumb|left|The Northampton Saints posing with [[The Original All Blacks]] in 1905]] |
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====Edgar Mobbs==== |
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Eight years after Harry Weston's first [[England National Rugby Union Team|England]] cap, [[Edgar Mobbs]] made his debut. Edgar was a hero throughout the town, as well as in [[Bedford]] after representing them several times also. A victim of the [[RFU]]'s witch hunting post [[History of rugby league|Great Schism]] was accused of "professionalism" in 1907 and tried by the [[RFU]], alongside several other players, all of whom were acquitted.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |page=15 |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref> 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{{clarify|date=November 2019}} into [[no man's land]] on 29 July 1917 attacking a machine gun post and his body was never found. Thousannds turned out to see the unveiling of his monument on Market Square.<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |page=20 |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref> |
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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 [[Barbarian F.C.|Barbarians]] and East Midlands at Franklin's Gardens until the Barbarians withdrew their support in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bolton|first1=Paul|title=Saints and the Army gather to honour fallen hero|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/10706777/Saints-and-the-Army-gather-to-honour-fallen-hero.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/10706777/Saints-and-the-Army-gather-to-honour-fallen-hero.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|website=The Daily Telegraph|date=18 March 2014 |access-date=9 December 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The match was saved by the efforts of former Northampton player [[Bob Taylor (rugby union, born 1942)|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 [[Army Rugby Union|British Army]] team.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mobbs Memorial Match promises to be poignant occasion|url=http://www.rfu.com/news/2014/march/news-articles/190314_mobbs_memorial_match|publisher=Rugby Football Union|access-date=9 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141214173624/http://www.rfu.com/news/2014/march/news-articles/190314_mobbs_memorial_match|archive-date=14 December 2014}}</ref> From 2024 the match will be played as a preseason game between Bedford and Northampton.<ref>{{cite web |title=New format agreed for Mobbs Memorial Match |url=https://bedfordrugby.co.uk/news/2023/02/new-format-agreed-mobbs-memorial-match |publisher=Bedford Rugby |access-date=14 July 2023 |date=21 February 2023}}</ref> |
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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. |
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. |
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===Revolution=== |
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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. |
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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 that would put the club back at the top of the English game. |
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Barry 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 [[Wayne Shelford|Wayne 'Buck' Shelford]]. |
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===Return to Normality=== |
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In 1990, Northampton Rugby Union Football Club gained promotion to the then First Division and the following year made their first trip to [[Twickenham]] to play [[Harlequins (rugby)|Quins]] in the [[Powergen Cup|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. |
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[[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]]. |
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[[Tim Rodber]] and [[Ian Hunter (rugby player)|Ian Hunter]] forced their way into the England setup while youngsters like [[Matt Dawson]] and [[Nick Beal]] came through the ranks. |
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In 1990, Northampton Rugby Union Football Club gained promotion to the First Division and the following year made their first trip to [[Twickenham Stadium|Twickenham]] to play [[Harlequins (rugby)|Quins]] in the [[Anglo-Welsh Cup|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. |
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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]]". |
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[[Tim Rodber]] and [[Ian Hunter (rugby union)|Ian Hunter]] forced their way into the England setup while younger players such as [[Paul Grayson (rugby union)|Paul Grayson]], [[Matt Dawson]] and [[Nick Beal]] came through the ranks and would follow the duo into the England senior team. |
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===The professional era=== |
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[[Image:Bruce Reihana.jpg|thumb|Bruce Reihana|200px]]In 1995, rugby union turned professional and the club was taken over by current chairman local businessman [[Keith Barwell]]. |
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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".<ref>{{cite book |last=Barron |first=Brian | date= June 2005 |title= Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years |location= Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP |publisher= Avalon Print |isbn= 0-9551699-0-9}}</ref> |
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In 1999, Saints came runners-up in the [[Guinness Premiership|Allied Dunbar Premiership]], their league campaign climaxing with a crucial home local derby with eventual winners [[Leicester Tigers]] which they lost 15-22 [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/rugby_union/296178.stm]. However they became the second English club to win the Heineken Cup (emulating [[Bath Rugby|Bath]]'s success in the 1998-99 competition), beating [[Munster]] 9-8 in the final [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/rugby_union/766699.stm]. [[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 (rugby)|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. |
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===Professional era=== |
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In 2000, the club became a Public Limited Company (Plc) and shares were issued to the public; in this season the Saints lost in the [[Powergen Cup|Tetley's Bitter Cup]] Final to [[London Wasps|Wasps]], but beat [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] 9-8 in the [[Heineken Cup|European Cup]] Final to win their first major trophy. |
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[[File:Bruce Reihana.jpg|thumb|Bruce Reihana|200px]]In 1995, rugby union turned professional and the club was taken over by local businessman Keith Barwell. |
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In 1999, Saints came runners-up in the [[Guinness Premiership|Allied Dunbar Premiership]], their league campaign climaxing with a crucial home local derby with eventual winners [[Leicester Tigers]], which they lost 15–22.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/rugby_union/296178.stm |title=Rugby Union | Leicester move out of sight |publisher=BBC News |date=13 March 1999 |access-date=20 December 2010}}</ref> [[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 F.C.|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. |
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After a poor start to the 2001/2002 season, former All-Black coach [[Wayne Smith (rugby player)|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]]. |
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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 [[Anglo-Welsh Cup|Tetley's Bitter Cup]] Final to [[Wasps RFC|Wasps]], but beat [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] 9–8 in the [[Heineken Cup|European Cup]] Final to win their first major trophy. |
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In recent times the club narrowly survived relegation from the Premiership, after the then coach ([[Alan Solomons]]) was sacked in the middle of the 2004-5 season. The coaching role was passed onto the former first team mates [[Budge Pountney]] and [[Paul Grayson (rugby player)|Paul Grayson]] to tide the team over. They had a slow start in the 2005-6 season, but continued to stay mainly unbeaten after the New Year. Budge retired at the start of the 2006-7 season leaving Grayson in overall control. |
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After a poor start to the 2001–2002 season, former All-Black coach [[Wayne Smith (rugby union)|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.<ref>''Northampton Saints'', [http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/club/sponsors.php northamptonsaints.co.uk] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101108161413/http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/club/sponsors.php |date=8 November 2010 }} Retrieved 30 November 2010</ref> |
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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. |
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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 (rugby union)|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. |
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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 Guinness 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 was demoted to skills and backs coach. |
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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. |
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On 9 June 2007, Northampton announced that [[England Saxons]] coach [[Jim Mallinder]] will become 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. |
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===Relegation (2007–08)=== |
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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]] trophy. On 26 April 2008 they ended their National Division One season undefeated with 30 wins from 30 games. |
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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 (rugby union)|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. |
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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. |
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== Current Standings == |
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{{2008-09 Guinness Premiership Table}} |
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===Return to Premiership (2008–2014)=== |
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== Players == |
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In the [[2008–09 English Premiership (rugby union)|2008–09 season]], the Saints finished eighth on the table and only losing one game at home to [[Newcastle Falcons]]. They also lifted the [[2008–09 European Challenge Cup|European Challenge Cup]], defeating French side [[CS Bourgoin-Jallieu|Bourgoin]] 15–3 in the final on 22 May 2009 at [[The Stoop]] in London.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article6346920.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902013300/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/rugby_union/article6346920.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 September 2011|title=Northampton lift European Challenge Cup|date=23 May 2009|work=The Times|access-date=26 May 2009 | location=London | first=Matthew | last=Pryor}}</ref> The victory gave them a place in the [[2009–10 Heineken Cup]]. |
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=== Ins and outs for 2008–2009 season === |
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'''In''' |
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[[Ignacio Fernández Lobbe]] ([[Sale Sharks|Sale]]), [[Ben Foden]] ([[Sale Sharks|Sale]]), [[Chris Mayor]] ([[Sale Sharks|Sale]]), [[Neil Best]] ([[Ulster Rugby|Ulster]]), [[Roger Wilson (rugby player)|Roger Wilson]] ([[Ulster Rugby|Ulster]]), [[Scott Gray (rugby union)|Scott Gray]] ([[Doncaster Knights|Doncaster]]), [[Alan Dickens (rugby player)|Alan Dickens]] ([[Saracens F.C.|Saracens]]), [[Lee Dickson]] ([[Newcastle Falcons|Newcastle]]), [[Nils Mordt]] ([[London Irish]]), [[Ben Broster]] ([[Llanelli Scarlets|Llanelli]]), [[Juandre Kruger]] ([[Blue Bulls]]), [[Regardt Dreyer]] ([[Griquas]]) |
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In March 2010, the Saints won the [[Anglo-Welsh Cup]] final against [[Gloucester Rugby|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. |
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'''Out''' |
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Northampton finished fourth in the 2010–11 [[English Premiership (rugby union)|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|date=December 2011}} |
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[[Johnny Howard (rugby player)|Johnny Howard]] ([[Aviron Bayonnais|Bayonne]]), [[Mark Darren Robinson|Mark Robinson]] (released/[[London Wasps|Wasps]]), [[Paul Tupai]] ([[Bedford Blues|Bedford]]), [[Ian Vass]] ([[Bedford Blues|Bedford]]), [[David Smith (rugby player)|David Smith]]([[Bedford Blues|Bedford]]), [[Darren Fox]] (Cambridge), [[Damien Browne]] ([[Connacht Rugby|Connacht]]), [[Christian Short]] ([[Brive]]), [[Robbie Kydd]] ([[Bath, Somerset|Bath]]), Will Harries (Bedford Blues, '''Loan''') |
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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|date=September 2014}} In 2011–12, the Saints reached a third successive Premiership semi-final and a second [[Anglo-Welsh Cup]] final in three seasons. |
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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 Rugby|Ulster]]'s four-year unbeaten home European record just before Christmas 2012.{{citation needed|date=January 2016}} The team finished fourth in the league, and after beating [[Saracens F.C.|Saracens]] in the semi-final reached their first ever Premiership final, where they lost 37–17 to Leicester.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.co.uk/premiership-2012-13/rugby/story/183475.html |title=Hartley hit with 11-week ban |publisher=ESPN|date=25 May 2013 |access-date=12 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.co.uk/premiership-2012-13/rugby/story/183364.html |title=Tigers power to tenth title as Hartley sees red |publisher=ESPN|date=25 May 2013 |access-date=12 June 2013}}</ref> |
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The 2013 season finished with seven players being taken to Argentina as part of the England squad, including [[Tom Wood (rugby union)|Tom Wood]] as captain. |
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In the 2013–14 season, the club finished second in the league behind [[Saracens F.C.|Saracens]] with a total of 78 points. Despite finishing second in the table, they went on to win the [[2013–14 English Premiership (rugby union)#Final|2013–14 English Premiership]], defeating table-topping [[Saracens F.C.|Saracens]] 24–20, after 100 minutes of rugby due to the game going to extra time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/27590375 |title=Premiership final: Saracens 20-24 Northampton Saints |publisher=BBC |date=31 May 2014 |access-date= 2 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.premiershiprugby.com/matchcentre/fixtures/31890.php |title=Aviva Premiership Final: Saracens 20 Northampton Saints 24 |website=premiershiprugby.com |date=31 May 2014 |access-date=2 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140603080306/http://www.premiershiprugby.com/matchcentre/fixtures/31890.php |archive-date=3 June 2014}}</ref> They also reached the final of the [[2013–14 European Challenge Cup]], which they won by beating [[Bath Rugby|Bath]] 16–30, with the match being played at [[Cardiff Arms Park]] in [[Wales]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/27489558 |title=Amlin Challenge Cup final: Bath 16-30 Northampton |publisher=BBC Sport |date=22 May 2014 |access-date= 2 June 2014}}</ref> |
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===Current Squad=== |
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For 2008/09 Season |
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===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 F.C.|Saracens]] on 23 May 2015.<ref>{{cite news |title=Saracens send Saints crashing out of play-offs |url=http://www.espn.co.uk/rugby/report?gameId=232167&league=267979 |access-date=9 May 2019 |publisher=ESPN |date=23 May 2015 |ref=espn.co.uk}}</ref> |
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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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Jim Mallinder: Northampton Saints sack director of rugby |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/42324266 |access-date=9 May 2019 |publisher=BBC Sport|date=12 December 2017 |ref=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> 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 (rugby union)|Alan Dickens]] at the helm.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gerard |first1=Meagher |title=Northampton appoint Alan Gaffney as interim coach to end of season |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/dec/29/northampton-saints-appoint-alan-gaffney-director-of-rugby |access-date=9 May 2019 |work=The Guardian|date=29 December 2017 |ref=www.theguardian.com}}</ref> 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. |
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===2018–present=== |
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[[File:2024 Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final.jpg|thumb|alt=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, equivalent to roughly one tenth of the entire population of Northampton.]] |
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A new era was confirmed at the club, when it was announced on 29 January 2018, that [[Hurricanes (rugby union)|Hurricanes]] boss [[Chris Boyd (rugby union)|Chris Boyd]] would link up with the Saints for the [[2018–19 Premiership Rugby]] campaign.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rugby Union Today: Saints appoint Chris Boyd |url=https://www.planetrugby.com/news/rugby-union-today-saints-appoint-chris-boyd/ |access-date=9 May 2019 |publisher=Planet Rugby |date=29 January 2018 |ref=www.planetrugby.com}}</ref> 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 season|2016]] [[Super Rugby]] title with the [[Hurricanes (rugby union)|Hurricanes]]. In Boyd's first season at the club, the Northampton Saints would go on to lift the [[Premiership Rugby Cup]], by defeating [[Saracens F.C.|Saracens]] 23–9 in front of a home-final crowd, which took place on 17 March 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title=Premiership Rugby Cup Final: Northampton beat Saracens with three first-half tries |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/47540696 |access-date=9 May 2019 |publisher=BBC Sport|date=17 March 2019 |ref=www.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> 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 day 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]]. |
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==Stadium== |
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{{Main|Franklin's Gardens}} |
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===Franklin's Gardens=== |
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[[File:Northampton Saints play Worcester Warriors at Franklin's Gardens.jpg|thumb|The Cinch (then Burrda Sport Stand, centre), Carlsberg (then Tetley's Stand, left), and Church's (right) Stand as viewed from the Barwell Stand]] |
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====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 15,249 spectators and 18,000 for concerts.<ref>https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/stadium</ref> 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. |
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[[File:Northampton Saints War Memorial.jpg|thumb|alt=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.]] |
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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. |
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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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=News {{!}} cinch to drive Saints forward with new six-year partnership deal|url=https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/news/cinch-to-drive-saints-forward-with-new-six-year-partnership-deal|access-date=19 September 2021|publisher=Northampton Saints|language=en}}</ref> |
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====The Carlsberg Stand==== |
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[[File:2023-24 English Premiership Northampton Saints vs Bristol Bears 20231021 161705.jpg|thumb|The Carlsberg (right) and Barwell (left) Stands.]] |
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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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/rodber|title=Rodber Bar | Conference Venue Hire|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/captains|title=Captains Bar | Conference Venue Hire|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/heroes-restaurant|title=Heroes Restaurant | Party Venue | Conference Facility|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/1880-suite|title=1880 Suite Cocktail Lounge | Meeting Room Hire|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/directors-lounge|title=Directors Lounge | Meeting & Conference Venue|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> |
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====Cinch Stand==== |
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[[File:2023-24 English Premiership Northampton Saints vs Bristol Bears 20231021 142604.jpg|thumb|The rear of the Cinch Stand, the overhang to avoid building into the pond below is clearly visible.]] |
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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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/news/cinch-to-drive-saints-forward-with-new-six-year-partnership-deal|title=News | cinch to drive Saints forward with new six-year partnership deal|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> |
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====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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/hospitality/matchday/tunnel-club|title=The Tunnel Club // Northampton Saints Matchday Hospitality|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> 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. |
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[[File:Church's Stand Commemorative Plaque in Franklin's Gardens.jpg|thumb|alt=A commemorative plaque on the tunnel in the Church's Stand that 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]] |
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====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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/members|title=Members Bar | Party & Conference Facility|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> |
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====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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/village|title=Supporters Village | Outdoor Venue Hire|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> The Northampton Saints Foundation offices are also located in one corner of the village. |
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====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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://shop.northamptonsaints.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOorFrPjp8eI6WXHaWxSIZn4djCuyXtzeM7-jQ49tOWFJ7bzM3M5F|title=The Official Website of Northampton Saints Online Shop|website=shop.northamptonsaints.co.uk}}</ref> The main ticket office is also located to the rear of the Shop. |
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====Northampton Saints High Performance Centre and training pitches==== |
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[[File:The Saints High Performance Centre Exterior.jpg|thumb|alt=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]] |
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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 that 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 that are also used for games by the youth players and second team, as well as for hosting youth rugby tournaments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/training-pitch|title=Training Pitches | Outdoor Venue Hire|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> |
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====Other facilities==== |
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The stadium has six car parks, with enough space for 1,500 cars.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/tickets/matchday-info|title=Northampton Saints Matchday Information | COYS|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> 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 [[Northampton Town Football Club|Football Club]]. The executive parking is located just outside the stadium next to the Carlsberg Stand. |
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===Mill Lane ground=== |
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The club's first home was located on Mill Lane, to the south of Franklin's Gardens. Saints played games on this pitch from 1880 until their permanent move to Franklin's Gardens in 1894.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/news/rugbys-greatest-derby-celebrates-250th-match|title=Rugby's greatest Derby celebrates 250th match|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> |
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===County Ground=== |
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{{Main | County Ground, Northampton}} |
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Northampton Saints also played a number of games at the [[County Ground, Northampton|County Ground]] in the early 1900s, as well as using the venue to host more important games such as the East Midlands vs [[All Blacks]] game in 1924. |
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===Stadium MK=== |
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{{Main| Stadium MK}} |
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[[File:Northampton Saints' Final Game at the Stadium MK.jpg|thumb|Northampton Saints' Final Game at the Stadium MK, in 2017.]] |
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The club played a 2011 [[Heineken Cup]] quarter final match against [[Ulster Rugby|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.<ref>{{cite news |title=Northampton forced to move Ulster tie to Milton Keynes |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/northampton/9372462.stm |access-date=9 May 2019 |publisher=BBC Sport|date=24 January 2011 |ref=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> The Saints won the match, beating [[Ulster Rugby|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 |
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match a season at the stadium between [[2014–15 Premiership Rugby|2014–15]] and [[2016–17 Premiership Rugby|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. |
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==Kits== |
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[[File:Northampton Saints.svg|thumb|left|The Northampton Saints crest used up to 2024]] |
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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 that 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 (sportswear)|Macron]] are Saints' kit supplier, signing a 10-year deal with the club. |
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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. |
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===Kit history=== |
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[[File:Tim Rodber.jpg|thumb|right|alt=[[Tim Rodber]] in the 1995 home shirt|[[Tim Rodber]] in the 1995 home shirt]] |
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{| class="wikitable" |
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|- |
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! Years !! Kit Manufacturer !! Main Sponsor |
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|- |
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| 1970s–1989 || [[Europa Sports]] || None |
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|- |
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| 1989–1993 || [[Cotton Oxford]] || Rowspan=2 | [[Carlsberg Group|Carlsberg]] |
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|- |
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| 1993–1995 || Rowspan=2 | [[Puma (brand)|Puma]] |
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|- |
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| 1995–1996 || Rowspan=2 | [[Firm Security]] |
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|- |
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| 1996–1998 || Rowspan=2 | [[Cotton Traders]] |
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|- |
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| 1998–2000 || Rowspan=2 | [[Tetley's Brewery|Tetley's]] |
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{{ref|a}} |
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|- |
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| 2000–2001 || Rowspan=2 | [[Canterbury of New Zealand|Canterbury]] |
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|- |
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| 2001–2003 || Rowspan=5 | [[Travis Perkins]] |
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|- |
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| 2003–2007 || [[KooGa]] |
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|- |
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| 2007–2010 || [[Rhino Rugby]] |
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|- |
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| 2010–2015 || [[Burrda Sports]] |
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|- |
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| 2015–2017 || Rowspan=4 | [[Macron (sportswear)|Macron]] |
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|- |
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| 2017–2020 || [[Toolstation]] |
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|- |
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| 2020–2023 || [[Travis Perkins]] |
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|- |
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| 2023–2026 || [[Constellation Automotive Group|Cinch]] |
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|} |
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====Notes==== |
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:1.{{note|a}}In Saints' 1999 away game against Grenoble, they were not permitted to play using Tetley's as a sponsor due to [[Loi Évin|French alcohol advertising laws]], as a result they played using a standard home strip with the Tetley's logos removed from the stomach and collar and instead replaced the stomach logo with a permissible "Smoothly does it" text piece (a slogan associated with the brewery)<ref>https://www.rugbypass.com/news/grenoble-away-was-the-most-violent-game-i-have-ever-played-in-northampton-heineken-cup/</ref><ref>https://www.irishtimes.com/business/innovation/the-peculiar-story-of-rugby-and-the-guinness-logo-1.3787059</ref>. |
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===Current kit=== |
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The kit is supplied by Macron. On the front of the shirt, [[Constellation Automotive Group|Cinch]] is at the centre while GRS appears on the left and right of the collar. The shoe company [[Church's shoes|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, [[Constellation Automotive Group|Cinch]] is located above the player name and number. [[Constellation Automotive Group|Cinch]] is also at the top on the back match day shorts. |
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===Commemorative kits=== |
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In 2001 a commemorative home shirt was produced with a "[[1999–2000 Heineken Cup|Champions of Europe]]" badge after the Saint's victory against [[Munster Rugby|Munster]] in the final.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.classicrugbyshirts.com/2000-2001--northampton--champions-europe-rugby-union-shirt-large-13172-p.asp|title=Classic Rugby Shirts | 2000 Northampton Vintage Old Jerseys|website=Classic Rugby Shirts}}</ref> |
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In 2021 Saints released a limited edition shirt to mark the 20th anniversary of their partnership with [[Travis Perkins]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://professionalbuildersmerchant.co.uk/news/tp-and-northampton-saints-celebrate-20-year-partnership/|title=TP and Northampton Saints celebrate 20-year partnership|date=20 October 2021}}</ref> |
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==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 that 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. |
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====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|date=October 2024}} |
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There were two minor changes to the crest that 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. |
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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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/news/northampton-saints-reveal-new-club-crest|title=News // Northampton Saints draw on history as Club reveals new crest|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> The change was considered controversial by some Saints fans, but supported by others.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cyj40d0yjjpo|publisher=BBC News |date=12 July 2024|access-date=21 October 2024|title=I love the Saints crest - it's easier to tattoo|first1=Annabel|last1=Amos|first2=Laura|last2=Devlin}}</ref> |
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====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. |
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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. |
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===Rivalries=== |
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{{main|East Midlands Derby (Rugby Union)}} |
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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 F.C.|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 F.C.#2019 relegation|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 Rugby|Wasps]] during their time in Coventry, but this second Midlands Derby was usually seen as less important to fans of the club. |
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===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. |
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====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. |
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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 [[Northampton Town FC|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. |
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====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 [[Northampton|shoemaking history]]. Supporters have also been seen removing their shoes during this chant. |
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===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 (rugby union)|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,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-17 |title=Northampton Saints 'punishment car' could be restored by 2025 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd11p1j7jk8o#:~:text=The%20ruined%20vehicle,%20a%20Reliant,for%20a%20period%20of%20time |access-date=2024-11-04 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> 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. |
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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 [[Northampton Town football club|football club]]. |
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===Other symbols of the club=== |
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[[File:2023-24 English Premiership Northampton Saints vs Bristol Bears 20231021 153855.jpg|thumb|left|Bernie during the 2023–2024 season.]] |
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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 [[The Saint (Simon Templar)|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. |
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====Bernie==== |
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Bernie, the club's mascot, is an anthropomorphic [[Saint Bernard (dog)|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. |
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[[File:66 754 Northampton Saints nameplate.jpg|thumb|the nameplate was unveiled at [[Wellingborough Loco Shed|Wellingborough Rail Yard]] in April 2015]] |
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====Freight locomotive==== |
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In 2015 it was announced that [[GB Railfreight]] 66754, a [[BR Class 66|Class 66]] mainline freight locomotive would be named "Northampton Saints" in honour of the previous year's Premiership title. In doing so, Saints became the first rugby team to have a train named after themselves.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/gbrf-names-66754-after-northampton-saints-rugby-club.114923/|title=GBRf Names 66754 After Northampton Saints Rugby Club | RailUK Forums}}</ref> |
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===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. |
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====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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.northamptonssc.co.uk/about-us|title=Blank | Official Northampton Saints Supporters Club|website=SSC}}</ref> |
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====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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.northamptonsaintsfoundation.org/about-us/background|title=Background|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> Most of this is centred around education about employability, life skills and interpersonal development. |
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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. |
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====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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/the-parish/about-the-parish|title=About // The Parish|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> |
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====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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/news/northampton-saints-launch-new-business-club|title=Northampton Saints Business Club // Collaborate, grow and thrive!|website=Northampton Saints}}</ref> |
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==Club partnerships== |
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===[[Bedford Blues]]=== |
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Saints announced that for the 2020–2021 [[2020–21 RFU Championship|Championship]] and [[2021–22 Premiership Rugby|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. |
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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. |
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===[[Loughborough Lightning (women's rugby union)|Loughborough Lightning]]=== |
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In 2021, Saints announced a partnership with the [[Loughborough University]] [[Loughborough Lightning (women's rugby union)|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://premiershiprugby.com/content/saints-join-forces-with-premier-15s-side-loughborough-lightning|title=Premiership Rugby | Saints join forces with Premier 15s side Loughborough Lightning|website=premiershiprugby.com}}</ref> |
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==Club honours and achievements== |
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===Northampton Saints=== |
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*[[Premiership Rugby]] |
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**Champions: (2) [[2013–14 English Premiership (rugby union)|2013–14]], [[2023–24 Premiership Rugby|2023–24]] |
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**Runners–Up: (2) [[1998–99 Premiership Rugby|1998–99]], [[2012–13 Premiership Rugby|2012–13]] |
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*[[RFU Championship]] |
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**Champions: (3) [[1989–90 Courage League National Division Two|1989–90]], [[1995–96 Courage League National Division Two|1995–96]], [[2007–08 National Division One|2007–08]] |
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*[[European Rugby Champions Cup]] |
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**Champions: (1) [[1999–2000 Heineken Cup|1999–00]] |
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**Runners–Up: (1) [[2010–11 Heineken Cup|2010–11]] |
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*[[European Challenge Cup]] |
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**Champions: (2) [[2008–09 European Challenge Cup|2008–09]], [[2013–14 European Challenge Cup|2013–14]] |
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*[[Anglo-Welsh Cup]] |
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**Champions: (1) [[2009–10 LV Cup|2009–10]] |
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**Runners–Up: (2) [[2011–12 LV Cup|2011–12]], [[2013–14 LV Cup|2013–14]] |
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*[[Premiership Rugby Cup]] |
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**Champions: (1) [[2018–19 Premiership Rugby Cup|2018–19]] |
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*[[RFU Knockout Cup]] |
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**Runners-up (4):[[1990–91 Pilkington Cup|1990–91]], [[1999–2000 Tetley's Bitter Cup|1999–00]], [[2001–02 Powergen Cup|2001–02]], [[2002–03 Powergen Cup|2002–03]] |
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*[[EDF Energy Trophy]] |
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**Champions: (1) [[EDF Energy Trophy|2007–08]] |
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*[[Selkirk Sevens]] |
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**Champions: (2) [[Selkirk Sevens|1991]], [[Selkirk Sevens|1993]] |
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*[[Middlesex Sevens]] |
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**Champions: (1) 2003 |
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===Northampton Wanderers (Reserves)=== |
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*[[Premiership Rugby Shield]] |
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**Champions: (3) 2008–09, 2016–17, 2017–18 |
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**Runners–Up: (4) 2003–04, 2007–08, 2013–14, 2015–16 |
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==Current squad== |
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{{for|player movements before or during the [[2024–25 Premiership Rugby|2024–25 season]]|List of 2024-25 Premiership Rugby transfers#Northampton Saints}} |
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The Northampton Saints squad for the [[2024–25 Premiership Rugby|2024–25 season]] is:<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/rugby/squad/senior |publisher=Northampton Saints |title=Northampton Saints Players|date=23 November 2024|access-date=23 November 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://all.rugby/club/northampton/squad |publisher=All Rugby|title=Northampton squad for season 2024/2025|date=23 November 2024|access-date=23 November 2024}}</ref> |
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{{rugby squad start}} |
{{rugby squad start}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=HK | name=[[ |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=HK | name='''[[Curtis Langdon]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=HK | name=[[ |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=HK | name=[[Nathan Langdon]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=SCO | pos=HK | name='''[[Robbie Smith (rugby union)|Robbie Smith]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=HK | name=[[Henry Walker (rugby union)|Henry Walker]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name='''[[Trevor Davison]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name=[[Luke Green (rugby union)|Luke Green]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name=[[Tarek Haffar]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name=[[Emmanuel Iyogun]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=SCO | pos=PR | name=[[ |
{{rugby squad player | nat=SCO | pos=PR | name='''[[Elliot Millar-Mills]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=CMR | pos=PR | name=[[Beltus Nonleh]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name=[[ |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name=[[Tom West (rugby union)|Tom West]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=LK | name=[[ |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=LK | name='''[[Alex Coles (rugby union)|Alex Coles]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=SCO | pos=LK | name=[[Callum Hunter-Hill]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=LK | name=[[Tom Lockett]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=FIJ | pos=LK | name='''[[Temo Mayanavanua]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=LK | name=[[Chunya Munga]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=LK | name=[[George Smith (rugby union, born 2001)|George Smith]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=RSA | pos=BR | name=[[Juarno Augustus]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=BR | name=[[Archie Benson]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=BR | name=[[Fyn Brown]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=BR | name=[[Sam Graham (rugby union)|Sam Graham]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=AUS | pos=BR | name='''[[Josh Kemeny]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=SAM | pos=BR | name='''[[Iakopo Mapu]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=BR | name='''[[Tom Pearson (rugby union, born 1999)|Tom Pearson]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=AUS | pos=BR | name=[[Angus Scott-Young]]}} |
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{{rugby squad mid}} |
{{rugby squad mid}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=SH | name=[[Tom James (rugby union, born 1993)|Tom James]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=SH | name='''[[Alex Mitchell (rugby union)|Alex Mitchell]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FH | name=[[George Makepeace-Cubitt]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=AUS | pos=FH | name=[[Charlie Savala]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FH | name='''[[Fin Smith]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=CE | name='''[[Fraser Dingwall]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=SCO | pos=CE | name='''[[Rory Hutchinson]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=CE | name=[[Tom Litchfield]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=RSA | pos=CE | name=[[Burger Odendaal]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=WG | name='''[[Tommy Freeman (rugby union)|Tommy Freeman]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=AUS | pos=WG | name=[[James Ramm]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=WG | name=[[Tom Seabrook]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=WG | name='''[[Ollie Sleightholme]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FB | name='''[[George Furbank]]'''}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos= |
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FB | name=[[George Hendy]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=CE | name=[[Chris Mayor]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=CE | name=[[Nils Mordt]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=WG | name=[[Grant Anderson]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=WG | name=[[Chris Ashton]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=WAL | pos=WG | name=[[Will Harries]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=SCO | pos=WG | name=[[Sean Lamont]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=WG | name=[[Neil Starling]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FB | name=[[Paul Diggin]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=NZL | pos=FB | name=[[Bruce Reihana]]}} (c) |
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{{rugby squad end}} |
{{rugby squad end}} |
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{{notelist}} |
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===Current England Elite Squad=== |
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* {{flagicon|England}} [[Dylan Hartley]] |
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===Academy squad=== |
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* {{flagicon|England}} [[Ben Foden]] |
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{{rugby squad start}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=HK | name=[[Craig Wright (rugby union)|Craig Wright]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name=[[Tom Dye]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name=[[Ed Prowse]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name=[[Ollie Scola]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name=[[Sonny Tonga'uiha]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=LK | name=[[Aiden Ainsworth-Cave]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=LK | name=[[Emeka Atuanya]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=BR | name=[[Reuben Logan]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=BR | name=[[Henry Nanka-Bruce]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=BR | name=[[Kieran Perkins (rugby union)|Kieran Perkins]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=BR | name=[[Henry Pollock (rugby union)|Henry Pollock]]}} |
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{{rugby squad mid}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=SH | name=[[Jake Garside]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=SH | name=[[Archie McParland]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=SH | name=[[Jonny Weimann]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FH | name=[[Louis Haley]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=CE | name=[[Billy Pasco]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=CE | name=[[Toby Thame]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=WG | name=[[Toby Cousins]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=WG | name=[[Will Glister]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=WG | name=[[Rafe Witheat]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FB | name=[[Ewan Baker]]}} |
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{{rugby squad end}} |
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==Club staff== |
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'''First team coaching''' |
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*[[Phil Dowson]] – Director of Rugby |
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*[[Lee Radford]] – Defence Coach |
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*[[Sam Vesty]] – Head/Attack Coach |
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*Matt Ferguson – Scrum Coach |
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*[[James Craig (rugby union, born 1988)|James Craig]] – Line Out Coach |
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'''Academy''' |
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*[[Mark Hopley]] – Academy Manager |
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*Alex O'Dowd – Player and Coach Development Manager |
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*Jake Sharp – Academy Coach |
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*Will Parkin – Academy Coach |
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*Jim Henry – Academy Coach |
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*Tim Grimsey – Academy Coach |
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==Notable former players== |
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{{see also|Category:Northampton Saints players}} |
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===Rugby World Cup=== |
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The following are players who have represented their countries at the [[Rugby World Cup]], while playing for Northampton: |
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{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center" |
|||
|- |
|||
!Tournament |
|||
!Players selected |
|||
!{{nrut|England}} players |
|||
!Other national team players |
|||
|- |
|||
| [[1987 Rugby World Cup|1987]] |
|||
| 1 |
|||
| [[Gary Pearce (rugby union)|Gary Pearce]] |
|||
| |
|||
|- |
|||
| [[1991 Rugby World Cup|1991]] |
|||
| 2 |
|||
| [[Gary Pearce (rugby union)|Gary Pearce]], [[John Olver (rugby union)|John Olver]] |
|||
| |
|||
|- |
|||
| [[1995 Rugby World Cup|1995]] |
|||
| 4 |
|||
| [[Martin Bayfield]], [[Ian Hunter (rugby union)|Ian Hunter]], [[Tim Rodber]] |
|||
| [[Peter Walton (rugby union)|Peter Walton]] {{flagicon|Scotland}} |
|||
|- |
|||
| [[1999 Rugby World Cup|1999]] |
|||
| 7 |
|||
| [[Nick Beal]], [[Matt Dawson]], [[Paul Grayson (rugby union)|Paul Grayson]], [[Tim Rodber]] |
|||
| [[Budge Pountney]] {{flagicon|Scotland}}, [[Allan Bateman]] {{flagicon|Wales}}, [[Pat Lam]] {{flagicon|Samoa}} |
|||
|- |
|||
| [[2003 Rugby World Cup|2003]] |
|||
| 5 |
|||
| [[Ben Cohen (rugby union)|Ben Cohen]], [[Matt Dawson]], [[Paul Grayson (rugby union)|Paul Grayson]], [[Steve Thompson (rugby union)|Steve Thompson]] |
|||
| [[Tom Smith (rugby union, born 1971)|Tom Smith]] {{flagicon|Scotland}} |
|||
|- |
|||
| [[2007 Rugby World Cup|2007]] |
|||
| 3 |
|||
| |
|||
| [[Soane Tongaʻuiha]] {{flagicon|Tonga}}, [[Euan Murray]], [[Sean Lamont]] {{flagicon|Scotland}} |
|||
|- |
|||
| [[2011 Rugby World Cup|2011]] |
|||
| 8 |
|||
| [[Chris Ashton]], [[Ben Foden]], [[Dylan Hartley]], [[Courtney Lawes]], [[Tom Wood (rugby union)|Tom Wood]] |
|||
| [[Soane Tongaʻuiha]] {{flagicon|Tonga}}, [[Vasily Artemiev]] {{flagicon|Russia}}, [[George Pisi]] {{flagicon|Samoa}} |
|||
|- |
|||
| [[2015 Rugby World Cup|2015]] |
|||
| 8 |
|||
| [[Kieran Brookes]], [[Courtney Lawes]], [[Tom Wood (rugby union)|Tom Wood]] |
|||
| [[George North]] {{flagicon|Wales}}, [[Kahn Fotuali'i]], [[George Pisi]], [[Ken Pisi]] {{flagicon|Samoa}}, [[Victor Matfield]] {{flagicon|South Africa}} |
|||
|- |
|||
| [[2019 Rugby World Cup|2019]] |
|||
| 7 |
|||
| [[Piers Francis]], [[Courtney Lawes]], [[Lewis Ludlam]] |
|||
| [[Ahsee Tuala]] {{flagicon|Samoa}}, [[Cobus Reinach]] {{flagicon|South Africa}}, [[Api Ratuniyarawa]] {{flagicon|Fiji}}, [[Dan Biggar]] {{flagicon|Wales}} |
|||
|- |
|||
| [[2023 Rugby World Cup|2023]] |
|||
| 5 |
|||
| [[Alex Mitchell (rugby union)|Alex Mitchell]], [[Courtney Lawes]], [[Lewis Ludlam]] |
|||
| [[Sam Matavesi]], [[Temo Mayanavanua]] {{flagicon|Fiji}} |
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|} |
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===British and Irish Lions=== |
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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: |
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* [[Blair Swannell]] ([[1899 British Lions tour to Australia|1899]] & [[1904 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand|1904]]) |
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* [[Robin Harrison (rugby union)|Robin Harrison]] ([[1910 British Lions tour to Argentina|1910]]) |
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* [[Bill Weston (rugby union)|Bill Weston]] ([[1936 British Lions tour to Argentina|1936]]) |
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* [[Jeff Butterfield]] ([[1955 British Lions tour to South Africa|1955]] & [[1959 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand|1959]]) |
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* [[Dickie Jeeps]] ([[1955 British Lions tour to South Africa|1955]], [[1959 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand|1959]] & [[1962 British Lions tour to South Africa|1962]]) |
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* [[Frank Sykes]] ([[1955 British Lions tour to South Africa|1955]]) |
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* [[Keith Savage (rugby union)|Keith Savage]] ([[1966 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand|1966]] & [[1968 British Lions tour to South Africa|1968]]) |
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* [[David Powell (rugby union)|David Powell]] ([[1966 British Lions tour to Australia and New Zealand|1966]]) |
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* [[Bob Taylor (rugby union, born 1942)|Bob Taylor]] ([[1968 British Lions tour to South Africa|1968]]) |
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* [[Peter Larter]] ([[1968 British Lions tour to South Africa|1968]]) |
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* [[Bryan West]] ([[1968 British Lions tour to South Africa|1968]]) |
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* [[Ian Hunter (rugby union)|Ian Hunter]] ([[1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand|1993]]) |
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* [[Martin Bayfield]] ([[1993 British Lions tour to New Zealand|1993]]) |
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* [[Matt Dawson]] ([[1997 British Lions tour to South Africa|1997]] & [[2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia|2001]]) |
|||
* [[Tim Rodber]] ([[1997 British Lions tour to South Africa|1997]]) |
|||
* [[Nick Beal]] ([[1997 British Lions tour to South Africa|1997]]) |
|||
* [[Gregor Townsend]] ([[1997 British Lions tour to South Africa|1997]]) |
|||
* [[Paul Grayson (rugby union)|Paul Grayson]] ([[1997 British Lions tour to South Africa|1997]]) |
|||
* [[Ben Cohen (rugby union)|Ben Cohen]] ([[2001 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia|2001]]) |
|||
* [[Steve Thompson (rugby union)|Steve Thompson]] ([[2005 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand|2005]]) |
|||
* [[Euan Murray]] ([[2009 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa|2009]]) |
|||
* [[Courtney Lawes]] ([[2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand|2017]] & [[2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa|2021]]) |
|||
* [[George North]] ([[2017 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand|2017]]) |
|||
*[[Dan Biggar]] ([[2021 British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa|2021]]) |
|||
===Hall of Fame=== |
|||
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: |
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{{Col-begin}} |
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{{Col-break}} |
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{{rugby squad start}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=CE | name=Geoff Allen}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name=[[Ron Jacobs (rugby union)|Ron Jacobs]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR| name=[[David Powell (rugby union)|David Powell]]}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name= Ray Longland}} |
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{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=PR | name=[[Gary Pearce (rugby union)|Gary Pearce]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=RSA | pos=PR | name=[[Garry Pagel]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=LK | name= Vince Cannon}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FL | name=[[Don White (rugby union)|Don White]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FL | name= [[Tim Rodber]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=HK | name= Roger Horwood}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=SAM| pos=N8 | name= [[Pat Lam]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=SCO | pos=FL | name= [[Budge Pountney]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FL | name= Bob Taylor}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FL | name= [[Bill Weston (rugby union)|Billy Weston]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=SH | name=[[Dickie Jeeps]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FH | name= [[Gordon Sturtridge (rugby union)|Gordon Sturtridge]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=CE | name= [[Jeff Butterfield]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=WG | name=[[Edgar Mobbs]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FB | name=[[Nick Beal]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=WG | name= Jerry Gordon}} |
|||
{{rugby squad player | nat=ENG | pos=FH | name=[[Paul Grayson (rugby union)|Paul Grayson]]}} |
|||
{{rugby squad end}} |
|||
{{col-end}} |
|||
===Captains=== |
|||
{{div col|colwidth=22em}} |
|||
* 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 [[Bill Weston (rugby union)|W H Weston]] |
|||
* 1931 [[Eric Coley|E Coley]] |
|||
* 1932 T Harris |
|||
* 1933–34 [[Bill Weston (rugby union)|W H Weston]] |
|||
* 1935 A D Matthews |
|||
* 1936 R J Longland |
|||
* 1937 T Harris |
|||
* 1938 [[Bill Weston (rugby union)|W H Weston]] |
|||
* 1939–41 [[Gordon Sturtridge (rugby union)|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 [[Mike Berridge (rugby union)|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 [[Ian Wright (rugby union)|I D Wright]] |
|||
* 1977 [[Jacko Page (rugby union)|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 |
|||
{{div col end}} |
|||
==Statistics== |
|||
===Overall stats=== |
|||
* '''Most Points''' in a match: 111 (v [[Timișoara Saracens]] 2019) |
|||
* '''Most Tries''' in a match: 17 (v [[Timișoara Saracens]] 2019) |
|||
* '''Most Conversions''' in a match: 13 (v [[Sedgley Park R.U.F.C.|Sedgley Park]] 2008) and (v [[Timișoara Saracens]] 2019) |
|||
* '''Most Penalty Goals''' in a match: 7 (v [[Richmond F.C.|Richmond]] 1997) |
|||
* '''Most Drop Goals''' in a match: 2 (v [[Newcastle Falcons]] 1996) |
|||
===Seasons summary=== |
|||
{|class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; width:100%;" |
|||
|- |
|||
! colspan="1" | |
|||
! colspan="4" | Domestic League |
|||
! colspan="2" | Domestic Cup |
|||
! colspan="2" | European Cup |
|||
|- |
|||
! style="text-align:center; width:6%;"|Season |
|||
! style="text-align:center; width:18%;"|Competition |
|||
! style="text-align:center; width:5%;"|Final Position |
|||
! style="text-align:center; width:5%;"|Points |
|||
! style="text-align:center; width:8%;"| Play-Offs |
|||
! style="text-align:center; width:12%;"|Competition |
|||
! style="text-align:center; width:7%;"|Performance |
|||
! style="text-align:center; width:13%;"|Competition |
|||
! style="text-align:center; width:7%;"|Performance |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1987–88 |
|||
| [[1987–88 Courage League National Division Two|Courage League Division 2]] |
|||
| 12th |
|||
| 13 |
|||
| rowspan=17|N/A |
|||
| [[1987–88 John Player Cup|John Player Cup]] |
|||
| 3rd round |
|||
| rowspan=8|No competition |
|||
| rowspan=9|N/A |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1988–89 |
|||
| [[1988–89 Courage League National Division Two|Courage League Division 2]] |
|||
| 3rd |
|||
| 13 |
|||
| [[1988–89 Pilkington Cup|Pilkington Cup]] |
|||
| 3rd round |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1989–90 |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''[[1989–90 Courage League National Division Two|Courage League Division 2]]''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''1st (P)''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''19''' |
|||
| [[1989–90 Pilkington Cup|Pilkington Cup]] |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1990–91 |
|||
| [[1990–91 Courage League|Courage League Division 1]] |
|||
| 9th |
|||
| 11 |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''[[1990–91 Pilkington Cup|Pilkington Cup]]'' |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''Runners-up'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1991–92 |
|||
| [[1991–92 English Premiership (rugby union)|Courage League Division 1]] |
|||
| 3rd |
|||
| 19 |
|||
| [[1991–92 Pilkington Cup|Pilkington Cup]] |
|||
| 4th round |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1992–93 |
|||
| [[1992–93 English Premiership (rugby union)|Courage League Division 1]] |
|||
| 4th |
|||
| 16 |
|||
| [[1992–93 Pilkington Cup|Pilkington Cup]] |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1993–94 |
|||
| [[1993–94 English Premiership (rugby union)|Courage League Division 1]] |
|||
| 5th |
|||
| 18 |
|||
| [[1993–94 Pilkington Cup|Pilkington Cup]] |
|||
| 5th round |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1994–95 |
|||
| style="background: pink"|[[1994–95 English Premiership (rugby union)|Courage League Division 1]] |
|||
| style="background: pink"|10th '''(R)''' |
|||
| style="background: pink"|12 |
|||
| [[1994–95 Pilkington Cup|Pilkington Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1995–96 |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''[[1995–96 Courage League National Division Two|Courage League Division 2]]''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''1st (P)''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''36''' |
|||
| [[1995–96 Pilkington Cup|Pilkington Cup]] |
|||
| 4th round |
|||
| No English teams |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1996–97 |
|||
| [[1996–97 English Premiership (rugby union)|Courage League Division 1]] |
|||
| 8th |
|||
| 20 |
|||
| [[1996–97 Pilkington Cup|Pilkington Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
| [[1996–97 European Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| rowspan=2| 1997–98 |
|||
| rowspan=2| [[1997–98 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| rowspan=2| 8th |
|||
| rowspan=2| 19 |
|||
| [[1997–98 Tetley's Bitter Cup|Tetley's Bitter Cup]] |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| rowspan=2| [[1997–98 European Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]] |
|||
| rowspan=2| 2nd in pool |
|||
|- |
|||
| C&G Cup |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| rowspan=2| 1998–99 |
|||
| rowspan =2 style="background: silver"|''[[1998–99 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]]'' |
|||
| rowspan =2 style="background: silver"|''2nd'' |
|||
| rowspan =2 style="background: silver"|''38'' |
|||
| [[1998–99 Tetley's Bitter Cup|Tetley's Bitter Cup]] |
|||
| 5th round |
|||
| rowspan =2| No English teams |
|||
| rowspan =2| N/A |
|||
|- |
|||
| C&G Cup |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 1999–00 |
|||
| [[1999–2000 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 5th |
|||
| 35 |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''[[1999–2000 Tetley's Bitter Cup|Tetley's Bitter Cup]]'' |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''Runners-up'' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''[[1999–2000 Heineken Cup|Heineken Cup]]''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''Champions''' |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2000–01 |
|||
| [[2000–01 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 4th |
|||
| 59 |
|||
| [[2000–2001 Tetley's Bitter Cup|Tetley's Bitter Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
| [[2000–01 Heineken Cup|Heineken Cup]] |
|||
| 4th in pool |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2001–02 |
|||
| [[2001–02 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 5th |
|||
| 56 |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''[[2001–02 Powergen Cup|Powergen Cup]]'' |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''Runners-up'' |
|||
| [[2001–02 Heineken Cup|Heineken Cup]] |
|||
| 4th in pool |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2002–03 |
|||
| [[2002–03 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 3rd |
|||
| 62 |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''[[2002–03 Powergen Cup|Powergen Cup]]'' |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''Runners-up'' |
|||
| [[2002–03 Heineken Cup|Heineken Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2003–04 |
|||
| [[2003–04 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 3rd |
|||
| 70 |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| [[2003–04 Powergen Cup|Powergen Cup]] |
|||
| 6th round |
|||
| [[2003–04 Heineken Cup|Heineken Cup]] |
|||
| 2nd in pool |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2004–05 |
|||
| [[2004–05 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 11th |
|||
| 40 |
|||
| DNQ |
|||
| [[2004–05 Powergen Cup|Powergen Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
| [[2004–05 Heineken Cup|Heineken Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2005–06 |
|||
| [[2005–06 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 6th |
|||
| 53 |
|||
| DNQ |
|||
| [[2005–06 Powergen Cup|Powergen Cup]] |
|||
| 2nd in pool |
|||
| [[2005–06 European Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2006–07 |
|||
| style="background: pink"|[[2006–07 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| style="background: pink"|12th '''(R)''' |
|||
| style="background: pink"|33 |
|||
| DNQ |
|||
| [[2006–07 EDF Energy Cup|EDF Energy Cup]] |
|||
| 4th in pool |
|||
| [[2006–07 Heineken Cup|Heineken Cup]] |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2007–08 |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''[[2007–08 National Division One|National Division One]]''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''1st (P)''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''143''' |
|||
| N/A |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''[[EDF Energy Trophy]]''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''Champions''' |
|||
| Not qualified |
|||
| N/A |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2008–09 |
|||
| [[2008–09 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 8th |
|||
| 49 |
|||
| DNQ |
|||
| [[2008–09 EDF Energy Cup|EDF Energy Cup]] |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''[[2008–09 European Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]]''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''Champions''' |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2009–10 |
|||
| [[2009–10 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 2nd |
|||
| 71 |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''[[2009–10 LV Cup|LV= Cup]]''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''Champions''' |
|||
| [[2009–10 Heineken Cup|Heineken Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2010–11 |
|||
| [[2010–11 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 4th |
|||
| 65 |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| [[2010–11 LV Cup|LV= Cup]] |
|||
| 2nd in pool |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''[[2010–11 Heineken Cup|Heineken Cup]]'' |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''Runners-up'' |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2011–12 |
|||
| [[2011–12 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 4th |
|||
| 65 |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''[[2011–12 LV Cup|LV= Cup]]'' |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''Runners-up'' |
|||
| [[2011–12 Heineken Cup|Heineken Cup]] |
|||
| 3rd in pool |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2012–13 |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''[[2012–13 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]]'' |
|||
| style="background: silver"|4th |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''65'' |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''Runners-up'' |
|||
| [[2012–13 LV Cup|LV= Cup]] |
|||
| 2nd in pool |
|||
| [[2012–13 Heineken Cup|Heineken Cup]] |
|||
| 2nd in pool |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2013–14 |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''[[2013–14 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]]''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''2nd''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''78''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''Champions''' |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''[[2013–14 LV Cup|LV= Cup]]'' |
|||
| style="background: silver"|''Runners-up'' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''[[2013–14 European Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]]'''* |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''Champions'''* |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2014–15 |
|||
| [[2014–15 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 1st |
|||
| 76 |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| [[2014–15 LV Cup|LV= Cup]] |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| [[2014–15 European Rugby Champions Cup|Champions Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2015–16 |
|||
| [[2015–16 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 5th |
|||
| 60 |
|||
| DNQ |
|||
| No competition |
|||
| N/A |
|||
| [[2015–16 European Rugby Champions Cup|Champions Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2016–17 |
|||
| [[2016–17 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 7th |
|||
| 52 |
|||
| DNQ |
|||
| [[2016–17 Anglo-Welsh Cup|Anglo-Welsh Cup]] |
|||
| 2nd in pool |
|||
| [[2016–17 European Rugby Champions Cup|Champions Cup]] |
|||
| 4th in pool |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2017–18 |
|||
| [[2017–18 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 9th |
|||
| 43 |
|||
| DNQ |
|||
| [[2017–18 Anglo-Welsh Cup|Anglo-Welsh Cup]] |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| [[2017–18 European Rugby Champions Cup|Champions Cup]] |
|||
| 4th in pool |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2018–19 |
|||
| [[2018–19 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 4th |
|||
| 56 |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''[[2018–19 Premiership Rugby Cup|Premiership Cup]]''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''Champions''' |
|||
| [[2018–19 European Rugby Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2019–20 |
|||
| [[2019–20 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 8th |
|||
| 42 |
|||
| DNQ |
|||
| [[2019–20 Premiership Rugby Cup|Premiership Cup]] |
|||
| 4th in pool |
|||
| [[2019–20 European Rugby Champions Cup|Champions Cup]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2020–21 |
|||
| [[2020-21 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 5th |
|||
| 57 |
|||
| DNQ |
|||
| No competition |
|||
| N/A |
|||
| [[2020–21 European Rugby Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup*]] |
|||
| Quarter-final |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2021–22 |
|||
| [[2021–22 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 4th |
|||
| 75 |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| [[2021–22 Premiership Rugby Cup|Premiership Cup]] |
|||
| Group Stage |
|||
| [[2021–22 European Rugby Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup*]] |
|||
| Round of 16 |
|||
|- |
|||
| 2022–23 |
|||
| [[2022–23 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]] |
|||
| 4th |
|||
| 58 |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| [[2022–23 Premiership Rugby Cup|Premiership Cup]] |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
| [[2022–23 European Rugby Champions Cup|Champions Cup]] |
|||
| Group Stage |
|||
|- |
|||
| style="background: gold"|2023–24 |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''[[2023–24 Premiership Rugby|Premiership]]''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''1st''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''60''' |
|||
| style="background: gold"|'''Champions''' |
|||
| [[2023–24 Premiership Rugby Cup|Premiership Cup]] |
|||
| Group Stage |
|||
| [[2023–24 European Rugby Champions Cup|Champions Cup]] |
|||
| Semi-final |
|||
|} |
|||
<small><span style="background:gold">Gold background</span> denotes champions<br /><span style="background:silver">Silver background</span> denotes runners-up<br /><span style="background:#ffcccc">Pink background</span> denotes relegated</small> |
|||
<nowiki>*</nowiki> After dropping into the competition from the [[European Rugby Champions Cup|Champions Cup/Heineken Cup]] |
|||
===Player stats=== |
|||
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) |
|||
===Current England Saxons Squad=== |
|||
2,655 – Stephen Myler (2006–2018) |
|||
===England Sevens=== |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[John Brake]] |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Lee Dickson]] |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Paul Diggin]] |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Ben Foden]] |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Chris Mayor]] |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Nils Mordt]] |
|||
1,463 – Roger Hosen (1955–67) |
|||
===Wales Sevens=== |
|||
* {{flagicon|Wales}} [[Will Harries]] |
|||
1,385 – John Steele (1988–94) |
|||
=== Other current internationals === |
|||
* {{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe]] ([[Argentina national rugby union team|Argentina]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Ireland|rugby}} [[Neil Best]] ([[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Ireland|rugby}} [[Barry Everitt (rugby player)|Barry Everitt]] ([[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Ireland|rugby}} [[Paul Shields (rugby player)|Paul Shields]] ([[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Ireland|rugby}} [[Roger Wilson (rugby player)|Roger Wilson]] ([[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Carlos Spencer]] ([[New Zealand national rugby union team|New Zealand]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Bruce Reihana]] ([[New Zealand national rugby union team|New Zealand]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Scott Gray (rugby union)|Scott Gray]] ([[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Sean Lamont]] ([[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Euan Murray]] ([[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Tom Smith (rugby player)|Tom Smith]] ([[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Barry Stewart]] ([[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Tonga}} [[Soane Tonga'uiha]] ([[Tonga national rugby union team|Tonga]] and [[Pacific Islanders rugby union team|Pacific Islanders 2005 Southern Hemisphere Tour]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Wales}} [[Ben Broster]] ([[Wales national rugby union team|Wales]]) |
|||
1,113 – Ian Moffat (1967–74) |
|||
==International Caps in the club's history== |
|||
* {{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Matias Cortese]] ([[Argentina national rugby union team|Argentina]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Federico Mendez]] ([[Argentina national rugby union team|Argentina]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Martin Scelzo]] ([[Argentina national rugby union team|Argentina]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Canada}} [[James Pritchard]] ([[Canada national rugby union team|Canada]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Geoff Appleford]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Martin Bayfield]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]] and [[British and Irish Lions]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Nick Beal]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Jeff Butterfield]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]], [[British and Irish Lions|British Lions]] and [[Barbarian F.C.|Barbarians]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Ben Cohen (rugby player)|Ben Cohen]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]] and [[British and Irish Lions]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Matt Dawson]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]] and [[British and Irish Lions]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Paul Grayson (rugby player)|Paul Grayson]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Roger Hosen]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Ian Hunter (rugby player)|Ian Hunter]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Peter Larter]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]] and [[British and Irish Lions]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[John Olver (rugby player)|John Olver]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Gary Pearce]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[David Powell (rugby player)|David "Piggy" Powell]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Tim Rodber]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]] and [[British and Irish Lions]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Keith Savage (rugby player)|Keith Savage]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]] and [[British and Irish Lions]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Bob Taylor (rugby player)|Bob Taylor]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]] and [[British and Irish Lions]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Steve Thompson (rugby player)|Steve Thompson]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]] and [[British and Irish Lions]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Bryan West]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Don White (footballer)|Don White]] ([[England national rugby union team|England]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|England}} [[Chris Ashton]] ([[England RL]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|France}} [[Olivier Brouzet]] ([[France national rugby union team|France]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|France}} [[David Gerard]] ([[France national rugby union team|France]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Hong Kong}} [[Vaughan Going]] ([[Hong Kong]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Ireland|rugby}} [[David Quinlan (rugby player)|David Quinlan]] ([[Ireland national rugby union team|Ireland]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Andrew Blowers]] ([[All Blacks|New Zealand]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Wayne Shelford]] ([[All Blacks|New Zealand]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Samoa}} [[Pat Lam]] ([[Samoa national rugby union team|Samoa]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Samoa}} [[Paul Tupai]] ([[Samoa national rugby union team|Samoa]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[John Leslie (rugby player)|John Leslie]] ([[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Budge Pountney]] ([[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|Scotland}} [[Gregor Townsend]] ([[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]] and [[British and Irish Lions]]) |
|||
* {{flagicon|USA}} [[Chris Wyles]] ([[USA national rugby union team|USA]]) |
|||
== |
== See also == |
||
* [[Premiership Rugby]] |
|||
* [[Heineken Cup]] Winners [[1999–00 Heineken Cup|1999/2000]] |
|||
* [[ |
* [[Heineken Cup]] |
||
* [[Premiership Rugby Cup]] |
|||
* [[National Division One]] Winners [[2007-08 National Division One|2007-08]] |
|||
* [[European Challenge Cup]] |
|||
* [[Franklin's Gardens]] |
|||
== |
== Notes == |
||
{{ |
{{notelist}} |
||
== |
== References == |
||
{{reflist}} |
|||
* [http://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/ Official Site] |
|||
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/northamptonshire/sport/saints/index.shtml BBC page] |
|||
* [http://www.comeonyousaints.com Fansite] |
|||
* [http://www.northamptonchronicleecho.co.uk/sectionsummary.aspx?sectionID=303 Northampton Chronicle and Echo] |
|||
== External links == |
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{{Guinness Premiership}} |
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{{commons category}} |
|||
{{European Challenge Cup 2008-09}} |
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* {{official website}} |
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{{Rugby union in England}} |
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* [http://www.comeonyousaints.com/ Official Supporters Website] |
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* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/northampton/default.stm BBC Sport Northampton Page] |
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041019023108/http://www.northamptonchronicleecho.co.uk/sectionsummary.aspx?sectionID=303 Northampton Chronicle and Echo] |
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* [http://www.premiershiprugby.com Premiership Rugby Official Website] |
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{{Northampton Saints squad}} |
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[[Category:Sports clubs established in 1880]] |
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{{English Premiership (rugby union)}} |
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[[Category:Sport in Northamptonshire]] |
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[[Category:Northampton Saints]] |
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[[Category:English rugby union players]] |
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[[de:Northampton Saints]] |
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[[ |
[[Category:Northampton Saints players]] |
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[[ |
[[Category:Northampton Saints| ]] |
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[[Category:Premiership Rugby teams]] |
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[[es:Northampton Saints]] |
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[[Category:Rugby union teams in England]] |
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[[pt:Northampton Saints]] |
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[[Category:Rugby clubs established in 1880]] |
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[[Category:Rugby union in Northamptonshire]] |
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[[Category:1880 establishments in England]] |
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[[Category:Heineken Cup champions]] |
Latest revision as of 03:18, 29 December 2024
Full name | Northampton Rugby Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Union | East Midlands RFU | ||
Nickname(s) | Saints, Jimmies[1] | ||
Founded | 1880 | ||
Location | Northampton, England | ||
Region | Northamptonshire | ||
Ground(s) | cinch stadium at Franklin's Gardens (Capacity: 15,249[2]) | ||
Chairman | John White | ||
CEO | Julia Chapman | ||
Director of Rugby | Phil Dowson | ||
Captain(s) | George Furbank | ||
Most appearances | Ron Jacobs (470) | ||
Top scorer | Paul Grayson (2,786)[3] | ||
Most tries | Teddy Cook (219) | ||
League(s) | Premiership Rugby | ||
2023–24 | 1st (Champions) | ||
| |||
Official website | |||
www |
Northampton Saints (officially Northampton Rugby Football Club) are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. They play in Premiership Rugby, England's top division of rugby union.
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 the 15,249 capacity Franklin's Gardens, in the St. James area in the west of the town. Since the early 1900s, the team has played in black, green and gold colours.
At the conclusion of the 2023–24 Premiership Rugby season, Saints finished first, 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]
To date, Saints have won seven major titles. They were European Champions in 2000, and English Champions in 2014 and 2024. They have also won the secondary European Rugby Challenge Cup twice, in 2009 and 2014, the Anglo-Welsh Cup in 2010, and the inaugural Premiership Rugby Cup in 2019.
Finally, the Saints have won the Second Division title three times; in 1990, 1996 and 2008.
The Saints' biggest rivals are Leicester Tigers. The East Midlands Derby is one of the fiercest rivalries in English rugby union.[5][6]
History
[edit]Early years (1880-1945)
[edit]Establishment and development
[edit]The club was established in 1880 under the original title of Northampton St. James 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". Wigg Himself had played for around 18 months between 1878 and 1880, and rugby football had already been played on an informal basis in the town and the county for around 17 years at this point.[8] His original concept was to promote "order" to his younger parish members by creating an "improvement class" for troubled local boys.[9]
The first "official" game played is considered to be against a local team, called the Star, from Bailiff Street, just off the Northampton Racecourse.[10] The early days saw games against teams from Northampton such as All Saints, St Michael's, Scorpions, Northampton Rugby Club, the Wanderers, and, in contrast to Saints' working-class roots, the exclusive, predominantly upper-class Northampton Unity Football Club, who later offered to merge with Saints (though this was refused by the St James governing board).[11]
"Play the game as a sportsman should, remember that life is but a span, it's up to us to be cheerful and good, and make life as bright as we can"
It was not long before Northampton had one of the major rugby union teams in the country, by the 1896–97 season they only conceded 93 points and kept their opposition scoreless for 17 of the 22 games played that season.[13] Twenty years after its establishment, the first Saints player, local farmer Harry Weston, was awarded an England cap.[14] The club was also drawing crowds of around 10,000 for major games, especially those against Leicester by this point.[15]
Relationships with other clubs in town
[edit]A minor disagreement occurred in 1897 as Saints looked to drop the "St. James" part of their name to become "Northampton Football Club", as the recently formed association football club Northampton Town FC also wished to take on this name. In the end, after some negotiation from RFU chairman George Rowland Hill, the Cobblers were willing to cede the name to Saints.[16]
Saints formed an early relationship with the Cricket Club, after donating all ticket proceedings from their 1897 game against Portsmouth RFC to the cricket club, they later followed this up with a similar gesture after a game against Bedford in 1899.[17]
Original All Blacks tour
[edit]In 1905, Saints managed to secure a game against the Original All Blacks, losing 32–0. After a post-match meeting on 1 May 1905, a third, gold, stripe was added to the shirt to mark the occasion, despite the heavy defeat.[18]
Edgar Mobbs
[edit]Eight years after Harry Weston's first England cap, Edgar Mobbs made his debut. Edgar was a hero throughout the town, as well as in Bedford after representing them several times also. A victim of the RFU's witch hunting post Great Schism was accused of "professionalism" in 1907 and tried by the RFU, alongside several other players, all of whom were acquitted.[19] 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. Thousannds turned out to see the unveiling of his monument on Market Square.[20]
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.[21] 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.[22] From 2024 the match will be played as a preseason game between Bedford and Northampton.[23]
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.
Revolution
[edit]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 that would put the club back at the top of the English game.
Return to Normality
[edit]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".[24]
Professional era
[edit]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.[25] 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.[26]
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)
[edit]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)
[edit]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.[27] 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.[28][29] 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.[30][31] 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.[32]
2014–2018
[edit]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.[33]
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.[34] 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.[35] 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
[edit]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.[36] 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.[37] 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 day 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
[edit]Franklin's Gardens
[edit]Stadium overview
[edit]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 15,249 spectators and 18,000 for concerts.[38] 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.
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.[39]
The Carlsberg Stand
[edit]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.[40] 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.[41][42] 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.[43][44]
Cinch Stand
[edit]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.[45]
Church's Stand
[edit]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.[46] 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.
Barwell Stand
[edit]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.[47]
Stadium Village
[edit]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.[48] The Northampton Saints Foundation offices are also located in one corner of the village.
Club Shop
[edit]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.[49] The main ticket office is also located to the rear of the Shop.
Northampton Saints High Performance Centre and training pitches
[edit]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 that 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 that are also used for games by the youth players and second team, as well as for hosting youth rugby tournaments.[50]
Other facilities
[edit]The stadium has six car parks, with enough space for 1,500 cars.[51] 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.
Mill Lane ground
[edit]The club's first home was located on Mill Lane, to the south of Franklin's Gardens. Saints played games on this pitch from 1880 until their permanent move to Franklin's Gardens in 1894.[52]
County Ground
[edit]Northampton Saints also played a number of games at the County Ground in the early 1900s, as well as using the venue to host more important games such as the East Midlands vs All Blacks game in 1924.
Stadium MK
[edit]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.[53] 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
[edit]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 that 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
[edit]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 |
Notes
[edit]- 1.^ In Saints' 1999 away game against Grenoble, they were not permitted to play using Tetley's as a sponsor due to French alcohol advertising laws, as a result they played using a standard home strip with the Tetley's logos removed from the stomach and collar and instead replaced the stomach logo with a permissible "Smoothly does it" text piece (a slogan associated with the brewery)[54][55].
Current kit
[edit]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.
Commemorative kits
[edit]In 2001 a commemorative home shirt was produced with a "Champions of Europe" badge after the Saint's victory against Munster in the final.[56]
In 2021 Saints released a limited edition shirt to mark the 20th anniversary of their partnership with Travis Perkins.[57]
Club culture and identity
[edit]Colours and crest
[edit]Jersey origins
[edit]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 that 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
[edit]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 that 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.[58] The change was considered controversial by some Saints fans, but supported by others.[59]
Away and cup jerseys
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]There are several songs tied to the club and chants are usually started in the terraced area of the Carlsberg Stand.
Songs
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]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,[60] 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
[edit]The Stickman
[edit]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
[edit]Bernie, the club's mascot, is an anthropomorphic 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.
Freight locomotive
[edit]In 2015 it was announced that GB Railfreight 66754, a Class 66 mainline freight locomotive would be named "Northampton Saints" in honour of the previous year's Premiership title. In doing so, Saints became the first rugby team to have a train named after themselves.[61]
Community
[edit]Participation and youth events
[edit]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
[edit]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.[62]
The Northampton Saints Foundation
[edit]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.[63] 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
[edit]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.[64]
Local business relations
[edit]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.[65]
Club partnerships
[edit]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.[66]
Club honours and achievements
[edit]Northampton Saints
[edit]- Premiership Rugby
- RFU Championship
- European Rugby Champions Cup
- European Challenge Cup
- Anglo-Welsh Cup
- Premiership Rugby Cup
- Champions: (1) 2018–19
- RFU Knockout Cup
- EDF Energy Trophy
- Champions: (1) 2007–08
- Selkirk Sevens
- Middlesex Sevens
- Champions: (1) 2003
Northampton Wanderers (Reserves)
[edit]- 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:[67][68]
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
Academy squad
[edit]Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
|
|
Club staff
[edit]First team coaching
- Phil Dowson – Director of Rugby
- Lee Radford – Defence Coach
- Sam Vesty – Head/Attack Coach
- Matt Ferguson – Scrum Coach
- James Craig – Line Out Coach
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 who have represented their countries at the Rugby World Cup, while 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 |
1999 | 7 | Nick Beal, Matt Dawson, Paul Grayson, Tim Rodber | Budge Pountney , Allan Bateman , Pat Lam |
2003 | 5 | Ben Cohen, Matt Dawson, Paul Grayson, Steve Thompson | Tom Smith |
2007 | 3 | Soane Tongaʻuiha , Euan Murray, Sean Lamont | |
2011 | 8 | Chris Ashton, Ben Foden, Dylan Hartley, Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood | Soane Tongaʻuiha , Vasily Artemiev , George Pisi |
2015 | 8 | Kieran Brookes, Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood | George North , Kahn Fotuali'i, George Pisi, Ken Pisi , Victor Matfield |
2019 | 7 | Piers Francis, Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam | Ahsee Tuala , Cobus Reinach , Api Ratuniyarawa , Dan Biggar |
2023 | 5 | Alex Mitchell, Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam | Sam Matavesi, Temo Mayanavanua |
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:
- Blair Swannell (1899 & 1904)
- Robin Harrison (1910)
- Bill Weston (1936)
- Jeff Butterfield (1955 & 1959)
- Dickie Jeeps (1955, 1959 & 1962)
- Frank Sykes (1955)
- Keith Savage (1966 & 1968)
- David Powell (1966)
- Bob Taylor (1968)
- Peter Larter (1968)
- Bryan West (1968)
- Ian Hunter (1993)
- Martin Bayfield (1993)
- Matt Dawson (1997 & 2001)
- Tim Rodber (1997)
- Nick Beal (1997)
- Gregor Townsend (1997)
- Paul Grayson (1997)
- Ben Cohen (2001)
- Steve Thompson (2005)
- Euan Murray (2009)
- Courtney Lawes (2017 & 2021)
- George North (2017)
- Dan Biggar (2021)
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:
Note: Flags indicate national union under World Rugby eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-World Rugby nationality.
|
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]- Most Points in a match: 111 (v Timișoara Saracens 2019)
- Most Tries in a match: 17 (v Timișoara Saracens 2019)
- Most Conversions in a match: 13 (v Sedgley Park 2008) and (v Timișoara Saracens 2019)
- Most Penalty Goals in a match: 7 (v Richmond 1997)
- Most Drop Goals in a match: 2 (v Newcastle Falcons 1996)
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]- ^ "Background". Northampton Saints Foundation. Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "Franklins Gardens, Northampton Saints Stadium". Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
- ^ "Club records". Northampton Saints. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "The 12 biggest rugby rivalries on the planet". Wales Online. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
- ^ "Saints history website". Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2013.
- ^ Barron, Brian (June 2005). Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years. Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP: Avalon Print. pp. 1–2. ISBN 0-9551699-0-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ https://www.northamptonsaints.co.uk/club/the-beginning
- ^ Barron, Brian (June 2005). Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years. Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP: Avalon Print. p. 5. ISBN 0-9551699-0-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Barron, Brian (June 2005). Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years. Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP: Avalon Print. p. 5. ISBN 0-9551699-0-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Barron, Brian (June 2005). Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years. Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP: Avalon Print. p. 3. ISBN 0-9551699-0-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Barron, Brian (June 2005). Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years. Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP: Avalon Print. p. 5. ISBN 0-9551699-0-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ http://www.rugbyheritagemk.org.uk/weston-family.html
- ^ Barron, Brian (June 2005). Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years. Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP: Avalon Print. p. 6. ISBN 0-9551699-0-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Barron, Brian (June 2005). Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years. Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP: Avalon Print. p. 9. ISBN 0-9551699-0-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Barron, Brian (June 2005). Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years. Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP: Avalon Print. pp. 7–9. ISBN 0-9551699-0-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Barron, Brian (June 2005). Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years. Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP: Avalon Print. p. 13. ISBN 0-9551699-0-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Barron, Brian (June 2005). Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years. Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP: Avalon Print. p. 15. ISBN 0-9551699-0-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ Barron, Brian (June 2005). Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years. Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP: Avalon Print. p. 20. ISBN 0-9551699-0-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ 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.
- ^ "Mobbs Memorial Match promises to be poignant occasion". Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
- ^ "New format agreed for Mobbs Memorial Match". Bedford Rugby. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ Barron, Brian (June 2005). Nothing Without Labour, Northampton Saints The First 125 Years. Kings Heath, Northampton NN5 7QP: Avalon Print. ISBN 0-9551699-0-9.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ "Rugby Union | Leicester move out of sight". BBC News. 13 March 1999. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ^ Northampton Saints, northamptonsaints.co.uk Archived 8 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 30 November 2010
- ^ 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.
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- ^ "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.
- ^ "Amlin Challenge Cup final: Bath 16-30 Northampton". BBC Sport. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2014.
- ^ "Saracens send Saints crashing out of play-offs". ESPN. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ "Jim Mallinder: Northampton Saints sack director of rugby". BBC Sport. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ Gerard, Meagher (29 December 2017). "Northampton appoint Alan Gaffney as interim coach to end of season". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ "Rugby Union Today: Saints appoint Chris Boyd". Planet Rugby. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ "Premiership Rugby Cup Final: Northampton beat Saracens with three first-half tries". BBC Sport. 17 March 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ https://www.franklinsgardens.co.uk/spaces/stadium
- ^ "News | cinch to drive Saints forward with new six-year partnership deal". Northampton Saints. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
- ^ "Rodber Bar | Conference Venue Hire". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "Captains Bar | Conference Venue Hire". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "Heroes Restaurant | Party Venue | Conference Facility". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "1880 Suite Cocktail Lounge | Meeting Room Hire". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "Directors Lounge | Meeting & Conference Venue". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "News | cinch to drive Saints forward with new six-year partnership deal". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "The Tunnel Club // Northampton Saints Matchday Hospitality". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "Members Bar | Party & Conference Facility". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "Supporters Village | Outdoor Venue Hire". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "The Official Website of Northampton Saints Online Shop". shop.northamptonsaints.co.uk.
- ^ "Training Pitches | Outdoor Venue Hire". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "Northampton Saints Matchday Information | COYS". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "Rugby's greatest Derby celebrates 250th match". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "Northampton forced to move Ulster tie to Milton Keynes". BBC Sport. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
- ^ https://www.rugbypass.com/news/grenoble-away-was-the-most-violent-game-i-have-ever-played-in-northampton-heineken-cup/
- ^ https://www.irishtimes.com/business/innovation/the-peculiar-story-of-rugby-and-the-guinness-logo-1.3787059
- ^ "Classic Rugby Shirts | 2000 Northampton Vintage Old Jerseys". Classic Rugby Shirts.
- ^ "TP and Northampton Saints celebrate 20-year partnership". 20 October 2021.
- ^ "News // Northampton Saints draw on history as Club reveals new crest". Northampton Saints.
- ^ Amos, Annabel; Devlin, Laura (12 July 2024). "I love the Saints crest - it's easier to tattoo". BBC News. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ "Northampton Saints 'punishment car' could be restored by 2025". BBC News. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ "GBRf Names 66754 After Northampton Saints Rugby Club | RailUK Forums".
- ^ "Blank | Official Northampton Saints Supporters Club". SSC.
- ^ "Background". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "About // The Parish". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "Northampton Saints Business Club // Collaborate, grow and thrive!". Northampton Saints.
- ^ "Premiership Rugby | Saints join forces with Premier 15s side Loughborough Lightning". premiershiprugby.com.
- ^ "Northampton Saints Players". Northampton Saints. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.
- ^ "Northampton squad for season 2024/2025". All Rugby. 23 November 2024. Retrieved 23 November 2024.