Ex-NRL academy product one of two fly-halves to sign for Northampton

Northampton Saints announced the immediate signing of fly-halves Charlie Savala and George Makepeace-Cubitt.

Former Sydney Roosters academy product Savala, 23, has been on loan at Franklin’s Gardens this season from Edinburgh, but has made the move permanent ahead of next season. The English-qualified No10 has made three appearances for the Gallagher Premiership leaders this season, making his debut against Toulon in the Investec Champions Cup in December.

“When the opportunity first came about to join Saints it was something out of the ordinary,” said the Australian-born fly-half said.

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“I was ready for a change, and was eager for the opportunity to develop and prove myself in a new environment. I’ve really enjoyed the change of scene – both from a living perspective and a rugby perspective.

“The coaching here is first class, the squad we’ve got is really competitive, and I feel like I’m improving in the environment every day.

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“The depth that we’ve got at fly-half – with Fin Smith having an unbelievable season this year and George Furbank playing well there too – it’s good for me to have people that you can work alongside to get better.

“To have that cohesion as a fly-half group only breeds positive results. We’re all pushing each other to be better, whether that’s off the field watching film together or working on our kicking. It’s been really good to have those guys to push myself with.

“With the success we’ve had on the field this season and in some big occasions, playing in and around that is want you want as player. I’ve had a taste for it this year and would love more it.

“As rugby players we all want to play, I want to be a part of the side that we’ve got here at Saints. I want to play as much as I can and keep developing. I’m really enjoying my time here and I’m eager to kick on.”

England U20 fly-half Makepeace-Cubitt arrives from National League 1 outfit Reading Rams with immediate effect.

The 20-year-old made the move to Reading after his previous club London Irish went into administration last season.

“I found myself at Rams after London Irish sadly folded,” said Makepeace-Cubitt.

“I got some consistent game time there and managed to get invited into the England Under-20s camp.

“I had no expectations of playing, but ended up getting some gametime which was brilliant, and then Saints got in touch to invite me in for a trial.

“There’s a lot going well for the Club this season, it’s an attractive place to play. When you look at the players that have come through the Academy and how well they’ve done, for me this is somewhere I can see myself getting better as a player.

“That’s the main goal for me at the minute. You want to come into a squad and compete, but it’s also about taking some learnings from the people around you who’ve done it before and who are currently doing it.

“Kicking with Fin in training, you can see the detail he goes into, and it will be good to learn from him and Furbs as well. We have similar styles in the way we play at fullback, but Furbs has really got himself into that second ball-playing role, and that’s something I want to develop. You couldn’t have two better people to learn from.

“For me, it’s all about trying to be a better player. Hopefully I get a chance to play for the Under-20s again this summer, but I want to come back here after that and really compete in this squad. Whether that’s at 10 or 15, playing games for Saints is where I want to get to.”