Northampton Saints Season Preview: George Furbank in charge as Saints bid for repeat

Northampton Saints Season Preview

Coach: Phil Dowson

Captain: George Furbank

Last season’s title winning success at Northampton was no fluke.

It was the product of work started by Chris Boyd six years before and, despite the departures of a number of players who were central to the Saints’ rise, including Courtney Lawes and Lewis Ludlam, they will be contenders again.

An issue for Phil Dowson and his coaching team is not so much how to replace the likes of Lawes, one of the most influential players in the Premiership era, but how to cope with the growing number of inter national players on their roster.

As England head coach Steve Borthwick looked to get England out of their tactical strait-jacket, he turned to a side fashioned by Boyd to be alert to opportunity and to play when it was on.

Depth Key

Backs George Furbank, Ollie Sleightholme, Fraser Dingwall, Tommy Freeman, Fin Smith and Alex Mitchell were all capped by England last season, four of them for the first time and, while overlaps between the club and international games have been minimised with the Premiership reduced to 10 clubs, mandatory rest periods and Borthwick deciding when one of his players needs medical treatment, demands strength in depth.

The Saints have that in a number of positions behind the scrum through the likes of James Ramm, George Hendy, Rory Hutchinson, Burger Odendaal, who will miss a big chunk of the new campaign because of a knee injury sustained in last season’s Premiership final against Bath, and Tom Litchfield.

Smith started all except three of their league and Champions Cup matches last season.

George Furbank moved from full-back to replace him in two which Charlie Savala, an Australian recruit from Edinburgh, leading the backline against Newcastle when England were preparing for the Six Nations.

Savala started last weekend’s friendly against Leinster at Franklin’s Gardens, which drew a crowd of more than 9,000, and Northampton need the 24-year-old, who was last year called into the Scotland squad as injury cover, to put pressure on Smith.

New Captain

Furbank takes over from Ludlam as Northampton’s captain. He led the side in 12 matches last season, all of which were won.

“I loved it and I think it brought the best out of me,” he said.

“It gave me extra motivation.

“If you are going to be a leader, you need to be at the top of your game so others follow.

“To bring the best out of the boys, my game needs to be at the top.

“Last season it was handy having Courts (Lawes) in the team because I could ask the referee to speak to him and Alex Coles will probably take over that role.

“I will talk to the refs beforehand and say I will not be there for the small messages, but I will for the big messages.”

The last time Northampton won the Premiership 10 years ago, it proved to me more of an end than a beginning.

“Winning back-to-back titles is a huge motivator,” said Furbank. “We have lost some big players but we have also signed some exciting young talent.”

Recruitment

Northampton largely recruited forwards over the summer after losing the Waller brothers, Sam Matavesi, Paul Hill, Alex Moon, Lawes and Ludlam. Australia’s Josh Kemeny has added to the back row options with prop Tom West and lock Callum Hunter-Hill joining from Saracens.

“I was really impressed with Callum,” said attack coach Sam Vesty after the defeat to Leinster.

“Josh has so much intent in contact and we saw a lot of that: he is a good athlete.”

Northampton start the new season at the ground of the team they beat in June’s final, Bath, where they have won once in their last eight visits in the Premiership.

“It’s going to be a good marker for us,” said Mitchell. “We’ll get a lot from it and learn from it. We have a really young squad and it is exciting.

“Last year we probably weren’t favourites to win the title and I’m not sure whether we will be this season, but it’s a great opportunity to go back to back.

“We know it’s another huge challenge because it’s one of the most competitive leagues in all of sport.

“We want to win it again.”

Ins and Outs

IN: Tom Lockett (Academy), Josh Kemeny (Melbourne Rebels), Tom Litchfield (Academy), Archie Benson (Luctonians), Fyn Brown (Doncaster Knights), Luke Green (San Diego Legion), Tom West (Saracens), Charlie Savala (Edinburgh), George Makepeace-Cubitt (Rams), George Smith (Coventry), Callum Hunter-Hill (Saracens), Nathan Langdon (Loughborough Students)

OUT: Lewis Ludlam (Toulon), Alex Moon (Bayonne), Gabriel Hamer-Webb (Cardiff), Courtney Lawes (Brive), left, Alex Waller, Ethan Waller, Tom Cruse (all retired), Callum Braley (Saracens), Aston Gradwick-Light, George Patten, Nick Tarr (all released), Will Cotterill (Oyonnax), Sam Matavesi (Lyon), Joel Matavesi (Bedford Blues), Paul Hill (Edinburgh), George Irivine (Ealing Trailfinders), Matthew Arden (Nottingham), Kayde Sylvester (Cambridge)

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