Gallagher PREM 2026/27 squads rated: Northampton Saints

Despite missing club captain George Furbank for large chunks of the season and being hit harder by England call-ups more than most, Northampton won back the PREM trophy in 2025/26 and are short odds to be crowned champions of England for a third time in four years.

Saints became the first team in PREM Rugby history to score 100 tries in the regular season and having proved you can entertain and still win, they are unlikely to deviate from their attacking style this time around.

Furbank has been lost to Harlequins and James Ramm’s versatility will be missed from the back three, but otherwise Saints have a largely settled and consistent group who know each other’s game inside and out.

Even the one major change on the coaching front shouldn’t disturb things too much, as Jim Henry has been promoted from within to fill breach left by defence coach Lee Radford’s departure to Scotland.

Most recruitment has been lower-end with no superstar additions, suggesting that the depth might not be quite as strong as it was 12 months ago, hence why they have been slightly marked down compared to 12 months ago. It should still be a squad good enough to win the PREM.

Loose-head prop: Jordan Els**, Danilo Fischetti, Emmanuel Iyogun, Aiden Reid*, Oliver Scola*, Leftheri Zigiriadis
Iyogun emerged as one of the best loose-heads in the PREM last season, even mangling Thomas du Toit in an encounter against Bath, and deservedly won his first England cap against Argentina. With him and Danilo Fischetti, Saints are well stocked on quality, plus Oliver Scola is starting to make a name for himself. Ex-Harlequin Jordan Els provides more back-up, albeit in the short-term. 8/10

Hooker: Ben Alexander, Curtis Langdon, Robbie Smith, Henry Walker, Craig Wright
Saints have a good group of hookers, with not a great deal to choose between them, but they maybe lack a bit of x-factor here. The quartet only managed two PREM tries between them, which to be fair, may have more to do with Saints’ approach than their ability to finish from close range. 7/10

Tight-head prop: Noah Buxton*, Trevor Davison, Luke Green, Cleopas Kundiona, Ion Neculai, Sonny Tonga’uiha*
Trevor Davison continues to soldier on and rarely comes off second-best, as his low penalty count testifies, and Saints will hope surgery has sorted out the knee injury which ended his season early. Zimbabwean Cleopas Kundiona is starting to rival him for the No.3 jersey, while no-nonsense Moldovan Ion Neculai has been recruited from Italian rugby. Luke Green and Sonny Tonga’uiha will have grown from last season’s game time. 7/10

Locks: Aiden Ainsworth-Cave*, James Bennett, Alex Coles, Tom Lockett, Alex Mead*, Chunya Munga, Ed Prowse, George Tonga’uiha*, JJ Van Der Mescht
Alex Coles is currently one of the best locks in the world, while there is plenty of oomph and experience in the form of Tom Lockett, Chunya Munga, Ed Prowse and JJ Van der Mescht, and Aiden Ainsworth-Cave should start to emerge more. Saints don’t look light here in any sense of the word. 8.5/10

Back-row: Archie Benson, Callum Chick, Josh Kemeny, Jack Lewis*, Tom Pearson, Henry Pollock, Josh Taylor, Charlie Ulcoq*
A back-row made up of Tom Pearson/Josh Kemeny, Henry Pollock and Callum Chick would be the envy of most other PREM teams. However, the departure of Sam Graham has left them a little light in experienced back-up beyond that celebrated quartet. 7.5/10

Scrum-half: Sonny Goode*, Archie McParland, Alex Mitchell, Aidan Pugh*, Jonny Weimann*
With the outstanding Archie McParland destined for the very top and Alex Mitchell still very much part of Steve Borthwick’s plans, Saints will be looking for Sonny Goode and Aidan Pugh to put pressure on fellow academy product Jonny Weimann as the third-choice nine. 8/10

Fly-half: Anthony Belleau, Hugh Shields*, Fin Smith
In Frenchman Anthony Belleau, Saints have excellent cover for Fin Smith whenever he is away. However, Saints no longer have the comfort blanket of having George Furbank as an option at 10, which could mean 18-year Hugh Shields, the son of team manager Paul Shields, being thrown in at the deep end. 7.5/10

Centres: Fraser Dingwall, Rory Hutchinson, Tom Litchfield, Henry Lumley*, Freddie St John*, Toby Thame
With his England future shrouded in doubt, newly-installed Saints captain Fraser Dingwall should be available for most, if not all, of the campaign, injury permitting. Rory Hutchinson is another quality player on both sides of the ball, while Tom Litchfield was one of the PREM’s most-improved players last season. Tommy Freeman isn’t a bad option, either! 8.5/10

Wingers: Amena Caqusau, Malik Faissal, Tommy Freeman, James Martin, Thomas Rowe*, Ollie Sleightholme, Charlie Tamani* Edoardo Todaro
If Saints can get a full season out of Ollie Sleightholme and Edoardo Todaro, and Malik Faissal has the impact that many predict, they will be blessed with options out wide. Freeman remains one of the best finishers around. 9/10

Full-back: George Hendy, James Pater*
Both George Hendy and England U20s ace James Pater can play in other positions but with the way things have shaped up recruitment-wise, they will more than likely to be pressed into playing 15 for the majority of the season. The lack of an out-and-out specialist ‘safe pair of hands’ is a minor concern, but as Saints play such a fluid style, it shouldn’t be too detrimental. 7/10

Overall rating: 78/100 (2025/26: 80/100)

Gallagher PREM ratings table, as it stands: 
1. Northampton – 78
2. Bath – 76
3. Exeter – 70

Transfers
In: Lefty Zigiriadis (Ealing Trailfinders), Josh Taylor (Ealing Trailfinders), Malik Faisssal (Zebre), Ben Alexander (Old Albanian), James Bennett (Loughborough Students), Thomas Rowe (Loughborough Students), Jordan Els (Harlequins), Ion Neculai (Zebre).

Out: Elliot Millar Mills (Newcastle Red Bulls), Sam Graham (Newcastle Red Bulls), James Ramm (Western Force), Tom James (Saracens), George Furbank (Harlequins), Jack Lawrence (released), Billy Pasco (released), Siep Walta (released), Tom West (Newcastle Red Bulls), Archie Appleby (Edinburgh), Will Glister (Oundle), Emeke Atuanya (Ealing Trailfinders), Fyn Brown (Ealing Trailfinders), Marco Manfredi (Valorugby Emilia).

*Senior academy
**Short-term deal