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'I was very close to going out to the real world, then Chris came'
Lewis Ludlam will never forget the inspiration that soon-to-depart Northampton boss Chris Boyd wielded when the pair first talked in August 2018. On the surface, it’s hard to imagine how the then 60-year-old Kiwi could somehow have struck an upbeat chord with a disillusioned 22-year-old who eight months earlier had given his mum a ring to say that he was quitting, that rugby wasn’t the career for him.
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Newly arrived from Wellington on the other side of the world, the canny Boyd took a punt, told Ludlam he was worth giving a shot to and the rest, as they always say, is history.
Thirteen months later, following a transformative Gallagher Premiership campaign with the Saints, the back-rower was on the England plane out of Heathrow, part of the squad of 31 chosen by Eddie Jones to take on the world in Japan.
“My first conversion with Chris was about a week after him coming,” explained Ludlam to RugbyPass on Thursday afternoon after Northampton training had finished ahead of Saturday’s Premiership semi-final hop, skip and jump up the M6 to take on title favourites Leicester.
“I’d been at the club for five years, earnt about eight caps and something wasn’t really clicking with me. I remember calling my mum around December (2017) and sort of saying I didn’t really want to do the rugby thing anymore. I was very close to going out to the real world but I thought I’d give it another year and then Chris came.
How good?!
Our captain @LewisLudlam joins the 100 club ? pic.twitter.com/3ZZuz0qWJi
— Northampton Saints ? (@SaintsRugby) June 3, 2022
“The first thing he said to me was, ‘Listen, things ain’t working out for you. I have heard things but what I am going to give you is an opportunity and it’s up to you if you want to take it or not’. To be told that as a young player that a lot of people had written off, I just thought brilliant, I’m going to make this count and show that he should have given me the opportunity and show that I’m thankful that he did. For him putting that faith in me and showing he was going to give me a chance was a breath of fresh air really.”
Not just for Ludlam but for an entire club that seemed to have lost its sense of ambition in the dying embers of the originally hugely successful Jim Mallinder era. Boyd restored their mojo. “The way he has given us freedom, that is how he will be remembered,” enthused the now 26-year-old Ludlam, who has revelled in seeing Northampton re-energised these past four seasons courtesy of two Premiership semi-final appearances, another fifth-place finish and a regular diet of Heineken Cup qualification.
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“Not just on the pitch, he has given lads freedom to be themselves off the pitch. It’s a no-judgement zone, you are free to be who you want to be and that is a really good space for growth. It shows in the number of players he has brought through. He has given opportunity and it is just about now repaying him for that by going out and getting some silverware for him before he jets off back to New Zealand.”
The bookies and multiple Premiership fans think that sounds far-fetched as Saints were swatted aside twice this season by Leicester. Ludlam, though, didn’t play in either of those games and having been on the winning side in a dozen of his 17 league appearances over the campaign, he will walk into Mattioli Woods Welford Road with a confident strut that this really is a mission possible for Northampton.
“I just think that is where this squad is at,” he said when asked what is giving him reasons for optimism. “I don’t think there is any point stepping on the field if you don’t back yourself and I think when we are on our money we can run anyone for a good game.
“You can look at those two fixtures and it’s clear to everyone outside this environment that we do look like clear underdogs but that is a really nice position to come from. It means the pressure is off for us, we can express ourselves and can go there with a little less expectation I suppose.”
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It was Tuesday, during an interview when attending the PRL end-of-season awards, that Boyd claimed: “The average English rugby player is too scared to make mistakes.” It sounded damning but the generalisation was no slight on the body of work that has unfolded at cinch Stadium Franklin’s Gardens with the New Zealander at the helm.
Did Ludlam appreciate what his Northampton boss was suggesting? “Absolutely, absolutely. That’s the nature of high-pressure sport. Wins and losses can come down to single moments and with the presence of social media at the moment, you make one wrong decision and you can get slated for it while you are at home.
Northampton are into the #GallagherPrem semi-final for the ????? time in history! ?
We take a look back at some of the best tries scored by @SaintsRugby this season ?? pic.twitter.com/jZkhbOaCyE
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) June 9, 2022
“There is definitely external pressure that comes with being a rugby player, it comes with making decisions, but we are very fortunate here under Chris Boyd, Sam Vesty and Phil Dowson that we are allowed to make those mistakes and we are allowed to learn from them.
“We are allowed to express ourselves and the product of that probably just shows in how many young players we have had come through in the likes of Tommy Freeman and many more. They have been allowed to make mistakes, to have a voice during the week so it can only be a good thing for development.”
It’s certainly been good for Ludlam. His recent Guinness Six Nations with England was cut short by a rib cartilage injury sustained in the opening game away to Scotland but the fact that he had been handed a first Test start in two years illustrated his determination to fight for recognition.
Northampton boss Boyd had bemoaned last September that other than the Test must-pick Courtney Lawes, he had too many promising talents on the England fringes who were getting squad call-ups but not kicking on into selections, a trend he insisted needed to be broken. It has with Ludlam, George Furbank and Alex Mitchell capped since then while the much-hyped Freeman and Fraser Dingwall were also in last month’s training squad, a London gathering that Ludlam was forced to miss through with a thumb injury sustained on Northampton duty.
“The pleasing thing is they are getting a look-in. They are getting appearances. George featured a little bit in the Six Nations as well but every single one of them is hungry for more, they want to be on summer tours, they want to be involved in autumn internationals and Six Nations, so boys want to be there and they are striving to be there.
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“Probably two or three years ago we had a little bit of a sniff and got roped into thinking that was the be-all and end-all and it probably took our focus away from process and the things that got us there into that position. These lads have stayed on task this season and what they have done at the club has been a product of them now having selections for England. That has been a pleasing thing.
“Every time you put on the England shirt is a special experience. It goes back to those childhood memories, watching those fixtures in the Six Nations. To be involved in another one was a really special experience. I would have liked to have been involved a little bit more but you go back to the drawing board, back to the process and you remember what has got you in that position. You go out working hard and hopefully put yourself in a position to earn some more caps.”
Is Ludlam’s form back to where it was when Jones came calling for Murrayfield in February? “It’s hard to say. I’m not happy with where I’m at, I feel like I have got more in me, I feel like there are things I want to improve on and there are the things you want to look at. In this sport, you don’t really get much chance to reflect back on where you have been. It’s very much what can be better.
“I’m working hard to improve areas of my game which I know need improvement. If that is a focus for me the progression will always be up. The moment you start looking back and trying to think what I could have done and where I was before, that is where you get caught up so the focus is very much improving week to week.”
That emphasis is reflected in his Saints play. Ludlam has scored four Premiership tries in 17 appearances this term, a strike rate that contrasts with his prior record of six tries in 53 league matches across his five previous seasons playing in the top flight. “The way Saints like to play is back rows on the edge and the ball is getting there a lot more often,” he explained.
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“The difference this season is we have got a lot of good ball carriers to get us yards through the middle of the pitch and it means that the space out wide where the back-rowers are usually standing opens up a little bit more. That is probably a reflection on the squad and the way we are playing a little bit more. It just means the space is opening up there rather than through the middle or through first and second phase through the backs.”
Winning the title with Northampton would mean the world to Ludlam. “I started playing rugby when I was nine years old and my first final was down at Twickenham when I was 11 or 12, so seeing that the first time I went I was, ‘This is where I want to be, this is what I want’. You dream of these occasions so to have the opportunity to be competing for a final and be in a semi-final is an unbelievable experience.
“We are so fortunate at Northampton where a lot of us have played together since we were 15, 16. I was playing with Rory (Hutchinson) at U17s, James Fish U18s, even the likes of Alex Mitchell and George Furbank U19s and U20s so we have known each other for a very long time which I think really helps.
“It’s a really close group which means there are lots of characters and there are lots of really strong bonds in that group which is why it is easy to be honest with each other week to week. We have got a lot of strong characters. Paul Hill is a bit of a joker around the place as well. Yeah, it is a really good group of boys. That has probably been our strength this season,” he continued before sharing his views on the Northampton-Leicester rivalry.
“It’s a very long history of a deeply rich rivalry. I remember being in U16s and U17s at Saints and the significance of the fixture was driven home to us. There has not been much love lost between the sides over the years and it being two clubs that are so close together in proximity, close in terms of competition around that top of the table now it just makes it that more exciting.
5.00pm
Captain Saints to BP victory against Bristol ?5.20pm
Join @ConnorRyanAdams for his set in the Supporter Village ?Is there anything @LewisLudlam can’t do?! pic.twitter.com/lESILJPmTr
— Northampton Saints ? (@SaintsRugby) April 2, 2022
“Oh God, there are a few memories. I remember being 17 years old and watching Tom Wood go over in the corner here, the bottom left corner (at Franklin’s). It’s quite fitting that this season he is leaving and now we have got the opportunity to play in this fixture, a semi-final, and create our own story, create our own history this weekend. It’s something I’m really excited about.”
History is a thing that Ludlam, the first mixed-race Northampton club captain whose mother’s family come from Guyana and father’s from Palestine and Lebanon, has become increasingly clued into regarding Northampton. He even took part in a Black History Month investigation last October into Frank Anderson, the first black or mixed-race player to play for the Saints. The World War 1 veteran debuted in 1900, but his pioneering story remained untold for more than 120 years.
“Graham (McKechnie, BBC Radio Northampton’s sports editor) did a fantastic job uncovering all the information. A core part of the club’s history had been completely forgotten until Graham said, ‘Let’s go and figure it out’. I’m sure there are hundreds of characters like Frank that need to be remembered at Northampton Saints but have been forgotten in history so to have the opportunity to uncover that history and tell his story was an honour.”
It won’t be until December that recent Northampton centurion Ludlam turns 27, an age that suggests his career still has plenty of rugby left. What he might do afterwards, though, is uncertain. “That’s a very good question, I’d like to figure out what I want to do when rugby is over. I love travelling, love art and would love to be involved in something creative but unfortunately, there are not that many creative jobs out there.
“I want to travel the world, want to see things, have those experiences. I’m quite fortunate I’m interested in a lot of different things. There are lads who aren’t interested in a lot of things and don’t know what they want to do. The problem for me is trying to pick a few things that I really love, a bit of the music stuff, some art stuff and then I love the game of rugby as well and want to be involved in that still. It’s a difficult challenge to sort of figure out.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
19 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments