15 for 10: Northampton Saints - an all-decade XV
The latest RugbyPass 15 for 10 takes us to the East Midlands and current Gallagher Premiership high-fliers Northampton Saints, whose exploits over the past decade include a domestic title and a highly memorable Heineken Champions Cup final with Leinster.
The club’s European competitiveness and position atop English rugby has diminished as the years have moved on, however, and they have made way for the duopoly of Saracens and Exeter Chiefs at the summit of the Premiership.
That said, the club are roaring back to life under director of rugby Chris Boyd and between their productive academy and some savvy recruitment from abroad, Saints are beginning to establish themselves as a force once again despite their recent European humblings at the hands of Leinster. Check out their all-decade XV below:
- Ben Foden
Plenty of honourable mentions here including Ahsee Tuala, the injury-plagued Harry Mallinder and even the tail-end of Bruce Reihana’s career, although the story of the Northampton full-back jersey in the 2010s belongs to Foden. The former Sale Shark enjoyed the bulk of his career at Franklin’s Gardens and was a consistently creative force from the back, something which Northampton’s wings frequently feed off of.
- Chris Ashton
Paul Diggin, Jamie Elliott, Ken Pisi, Tom Collins. Again, there are no shortage of options here, though Ashton singled himself out as one of the most lethal wings in world rugby during his time at Saints. His final couple of years were so prolific as to draw major interest from Saracens, where he ultimately ended up after leaving in the summer of 2012.
(Continue reading below…)
An archive visit by RugbyPass to Franklin’s Gardens
- George Pisi
Rory Hutchinson has come on strong of late and is someone who will have his eye on the XV of the 2020s, but for now the accolade has to go to Pisi. The Samoan centre made over 140 appearances for the club in a six-year spell and was viewed, particularly in the first half of that stint, as one of the most threatening attacking midfielders in the Premiership.
- Luther Burrell
Burrell formed a highly effective partnership with Pisi in Saints’ midfield and few defences could live with the combination of two such hard-hitting centres. James Downey was another name that was considered and who gave a lot to the club, but Burrell’s earlier years at Northampton were excellent and pushed him firmly into England contention.
- George North
There was a temptation to go with Taqele Naiyaravoro here, such has been his impact in just over one season, but North’s length of stay in the 2010s just edges it in his favour. The Welsh international made over 100 appearances and scored 32 tries during his time in the East Midlands and though many would argue he never quite hit his peak at the club, his service was still very impressive.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1201954308176142336
- Stephen Myler
A relatively straightforward call, with Myler having been the orchestrator for Saints for the majority of the decade. He was unlucky not to win more England caps as the international careers of Jonny Wilkinson, Charlie Hodgson and Toby Flood ran down before the arrival on the scene of Owen Farrell and George Ford. His positive legacy at Saints cannot be questioned, however.
- Lee Dickson
South African Cobus Reinach pushed Dickson all the way for this spot, whilst Kahn Fotuali’i also made his presence felt, but Dickson, like Myler, was at the core of that successful Saints side at the beginning of the decade. The pair combined harmoniously to control tempo, territory and opportunity, all of which allowed Northampton’s fearsome pack to go to work.
- Soane Tonga’uiha
The fact Tonga’uiha can keep out as dedicated a servant to Northampton as Alex Waller is a mark of his tremendous impact during his time at the club. Waller has his number in terms of durability, but Tonga’uiha was a force to be reckoned with at the set-piece and the tight five he played in earlier in the decade will surely go down as one of the premier units of the professional club era.
https://twitter.com/SaintsRugby/status/1192410382666612737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1192410382666612737&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rugbypass.com%2Fnews%2Fdylan-hartley-has-retired-with-immediate-effect%2F
- Dylan Hartley
Mikey Haywood really wasn’t far off here with Hartley having split his time between club and country, but he was the leader for some of the Saints’ greatest moments of the decade. His discipline will always come under the microscope, but there was no doubting his commitment to the jersey and the passion with which he played for the club.
- Brian Mujati
A number of players have tried to fill Mujati’s boots such as Paul Hill, Kieran Brookes and, most recently, Owen Franks, but none have yet been able to replicate the impact he had. Alongside Tonga’uiha and Hartley, Mujati was the final piece in an uncompromising front row that took apart most, if not all, of the opponents they faced.
- Courtney Lawes
Perhaps the greatest success story of Saints this decade, Lawes has been a regular for Martin Johnson, Stuart Lancaster and Eddie Jones in their stints as England head coach. He has also consistently been one of the most predatory defensive players in Premiership and European rugby. Even at a club with as rich a history as Northampton, Lawes will go down as one of the side’s most iconic players when he does eventually hang up his boots.
- Christian Day
There is strong competition from David Ribbans and the long-serving James Craig, but Day was the perfect foil to Lawes in a dynamic and efficient second row pairing. Along with the aforementioned front row, Saints boasted one of the best tight fives the Premiership has ever seen and though Day didn’t receive the international recognition that his team-mates did, he was every bit as vital to the group’s success.
- Tom Wood
He may not have come through Northampton’s academy, but Wood’s service to the club has seen him integrate himself into part of the team’s DNA. His international legacy is wrapped up along with Chris Robshaw, James Haskell and the rather unfair ‘6/5’ debate, but that does nothing to diminish the years of ability, effort and leadership that he has brought to Saints.
- Teimana Harrison
Calum Clark had some disciplinary issues and was unlucky with injuries and Lewis Ludlam should dominate this position in the coming years, but Harrison has been one of the most impressive players for Saints over the past ten years. The club’s fortunes may have wavered in the second half of the decade, but Harrison’s positive impact on the team has only grown.
- Samu Manoa
There is no shortage of candidates here including Phil Dowson, Louis Picamoles and Roger Wilson, but no one quite replicated what Samu Manoa brought to Franklin’s Gardens. The American international enjoyed the best years of his career at the club and it’s a measure of his colossal ball-carrying ability that Northampton are still trying to find a replacement for him.
WATCH: Foden: Stateside is the compelling RugbyPass documentary on Ben Foden’s switch to Rugby United New York in Major League Rugby
Comments on RugbyPass
I don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
4 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
24 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
24 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
24 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
24 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
24 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
24 Go to comments