Callum Chick's move to 'rugby town' Northampton motivated by England ambition

Northampton have completed the signing of Newcastle captain and No.8 Callum Chick ahead of the 2025/26 season.

Last week’s Fissler Confidential column flagged that Chick was Saints’ first-choice option to replace Ulster-bound Jurano Augustus, and the Investec Chamopions Cup finalists have confirmed they have got their man.

The physically imposing 28-year-old back rower will arrive at Franklin’s Gardens this summer, ending a 16-year association with his boyhood club that has seen him clock up more than 150 senior appearances.

Chick has played over 1,000 minutes of Gallagher Premiership rugby for the past four seasons and racked up a century of appearances in the league, alongside gaining a wealth of experience across both the domestic and European competitions with Newcastle.

But, for the No. 8, the time has come to test himself in a new setting, and that is something he is relishing doing in Northampton.

“I am 28 now and I feel the time is right for me to move on,” said Chick, who won his two England caps back in 2021. “I have aspirations to get more England caps, and in order to do that, I feel like I have to experience something new.

“Northampton feels like a perfect move for me. I enjoy the brand of rugby, and they have some great coaches and players.

“Moving was a no-brainer and Northampton being that choice was an easy decision. I think that I will fit in well, and I am excited to get started.

“When I spoke to Phil Dowson on the phone, first and foremost, he was just a good bloke and that is something I can buy into. It was a big draw for me to be able to play for someone like that and get the opportunity to grow under him, Sam Vesty and the other coaches.

“The standard at Northampton across the board is great, but in particular, the back row has got some fantastic players. I am looking forward to learning from them and putting that into my game. Competition for positions brings the best out of everyone, and, for myself, that is something I am looking forward to.

“Northampton feels like one of those towns that always looks forward to the rugby game at the weekend, that going to watch Saints is always something on the calendar. Coming from a football city where rugby plays second fiddle, to be moving somewhere like that is hugely exciting.

“The crowds in Northampton are always brilliant, they sell out matches pretty much every week and that’s something I can’t wait to be a part of.”

Chick’s first season of professional rugby came in 2015/16, a campaign that would end with him winning the Junior World Championship alongside past and present Saints; Tom West and Harry Mallinder.

The 6’ 3’’, 118kg forward enjoyed something of a breakthrough season the following term, earning a first Premiership start and scoring his first try in the European Challenge Cup.

From there, Chick became a mainstay of Falcons’ side and that club form was rewarded with a senior England call-up in 2021 – where Chick made his debut against the USA, before earning a second cap against Canada the following week, and a third appearance for England would come a year later in an uncapped clash with Barbarian F.C.

After captaining Falcons on occasion, Chick took over the role permanently in 2023/24 – a season that ended with him winning the Ken Lockerbie trophy at the club’s end-of-season awards, voted for by the club’s founder members.

Chick has led by example in the No. 8 shirt this season, starting all 15 of Newcastle’s Premiership games, while also featuring in the league’s top ten players for post-contact metres made (173, 5th), turnovers won (12, 8th) and carries (217, 10th).

And it is that tenacity and work-rate that most impressed director of rugby, Phil Dowson, who himself swapped Newcastle for Northampton 16 years ago.

Dowson said: “We initially spoke to Callum a few years ago and were impressed with him then. At that stage, he decided to stay in Newcastle and that loyalty speaks volumes about him – the way he’s captained that side, had a huge impact there with the way he plays and how he has led in that environment.

“We were in the market for a ball-carrying back row and Callum’s got those attributes in spades; his ball-carrying and ability to move the ball, then there are his defensive hits, which we saw recently when we played against Newcastle.

“Callum’s an ambitious player, he’s played some international rugby, gotten a taste for it. He obviously wants more and we think he’s more than capable of returning to that England fold.

“He is a powerful man, but also Callum’s leadership and experience are key for us. He has got a lot of Premiership appearances; it can be a tough league to perform well in and he’s shown a huge amount of resilience throughout his time at Falcons. We love that grit and determination as well as his experience and are looking forward to getting him here.”