It seems so far away, yet the new season is slowly creeping up on us. More excitingly, new signings are being announced all over the country and it’s looking to be one of the most exhilarating years in the battle for victory. For those itching for the Premiership to start, it might be good to get to know your club’s new faces a little better.
Reigning champions Northampton Saints had a momentous season last year, winning the Premiership after coming so close as runner-ups the year before. After a tense final against Saracens, which saw Alex Waller’s converted try in extra time claim victory, Saints will have to come back fighting and ready to defend their title. With few players leaving, Jim Mallinder’s side have only three signings so far.
Northampton Saints Signings
Joel Hodgson
Age: 21
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 12st 3lbs
Position: Scrum Half
Hodgson was born and raised in Newcastle, so it’s no surprise that he came through the Falcons academy age groups. He played at Twickenham in the Daily Mail Schools Cup final of 2010 for his school, the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle, in which he played at fly half. However he represented England Under-18’s as scrum half, the position he has joined Saints as. His first team debut for the Falcons was against Bourgoin-Jallieu in October of 2010, where he was subbed on in the 55th minute to make a conversion shortly after. Currently holding 20 points in the Premiership, Hodgson will undoubtedly develop his game to challenge Lee Dickson and Kahn Fotuali’i for the scrum half spot. This young talent is one to watch, and could easily start at number nine if both Dickson and Fotuali’i are on national duties.
The following players are staying at Northampton Saints on a senior contract after being part of the academy at Franklin’s Gardens.
Tom Stephenson
Age: 20
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 14st 10lbs
Position: Centre
A product of the Saints academy, another young player to join Northampton is Tom Stephenson as he makes the step up from academy player to fully signed member of the senior squad. He has made appearances in the Premiership here and there, scoring a few points along the way, most notably against Gloucester where his quick-thinking saw him burst through and score an impressive try. Stephenson has represented England at all age groups, captaining the Under-18’s side to championship victory at the FIRA/AER 2012 tournament. Having already made his name known in the ‘A’ League, he will definitely relish in the opportunity to play alongside the well established and highly regarded players such as Luther Burrell and George Pisi, who also play centre.
Alex Day
Age: 21
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 13st 8lbs
Position: Scrum Half
The second skilled youngster to be promoted from the academy is Alex Day who also has had a taste of success in the ‘A’ League, scoring two tries in his debut in 2013. Additionally in that year, Day captained England Under-20’s to a thundering 109-0 victory over the USA in the IRB Junior World Championship (Stephenson also featured in this team). In this match, Day scored a hat-trick to bring the total of tries to 17, the largest win in the history of the Championships.
“I was so proud to lead the guys out – it was a pretty special feeling, but to score a few tries and to get the record win means a lot. We made a few changes for this game but it just goes to show the strength in depth we’ve got.”
Despite this display of leadership and valuable experience, the scrum-half will have to up his game and convince the coaching staff that he deserves a starting spot more than the other choices for this position. It’s almost certain though that we will see Day feature in England games not too far into the future, thanks to his continued good performances at both club and international level.
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